The Grudge
by Dani Navy
Summary: "...if they knew I wasn't the same girl who lived here four years ago, I doubt they'd be applauding my return. The Bella Swan they knew would never return. She was dead, and I wish they could see that." B/E
1. Return

**~ Chapter 1: Return ~**

* * *

It felt like a shot of rejection had been injected into my bloodless veins, and it was slowly seeping through my entire body, until finally, it reached my heart- which didn't make the usual 'lub-dub' sound. My heart never made the iconic heartbeat sound, or it at least it hadn't in what would be two years a day from now.

I felt so angry. Angrier than I've ever been, all because I couldn't be accepted for who I was, and how I acted. Actually, me being angry right now proved the other party right- and I hated that. This resulted in a brick wall being smashed in, thus proving their point even more.

But I would try again, hell, would I ever. If I knew one thing about myself, I wasn't a quitter. I had been through a fuck load and a half in four years, and if going back to the roots of where it all started was what _they_ needed from me, I'd do it.

I just needed to get the fuck out of Italy before any of them decided it would be easier to erase me off the face of the earth instead listening to me whine about what they were. They knew I was a hell raiser, and fuck, I couldn't help it!

I looked around, not a single soul on the streets for me to clobber, thus forcing me to punch in a statue to release more of my anger. I still had a ton of it though with not enough places to put it.

But I held in my rage though, out of fear of being caught, pulled on a ball cap to cover my face, and stormed out of the courtyard of what hopefully would be my future residence- if I was right.

Then the dread came, because of course, proving myself to the elite vampires of Volturi meant returning to my hometown…

_Forks, Washington. Here I come. _

-x-

The town had memories in it. Distant, but they were still there.

When I walked by the park, I remembered the swings. When I walked by the barbershop, I remembered trying to take my dog to get a haircut. When I walked by my house, I remembered my dad…

My dad. What would he do when he saw me? Hell, what would any of the town do when they saw me? I was gone in their minds, probably dead, and now I'm back. Worse of all, I'm back in a seventeen-year-olds body, with a 19-year-olds mindset, looking like I could be on a runway- only after wiping away the dirt on my face.

I had to come back. I had something to prove to more powerful vampires. But even more so, I had something to prove to myself. I could live with humans, I could co-exist with them, and not blame every one that crossed my path for my past problems. Or I could at least pretend not to hate every human being.

I could fake anything with a little practice and a whole lot of time.

I knew I would have to try pretty hard too. Staring at the house from the driveway brought back too many memories of a girl I didn't know anymore. She was weak, pathetic, and I felt sorry for her. I didn't want to remember her.

But it was the deal. Go back, show the world and myself I can be me, and then take it from there.

I took in a breath, walked towards the house that looked just as I remembered it, and walked back into my past. And my past was right there, sitting in the kitchen, reading up on the events of a very human world. The man, which I knew was my dad, dropped his coffee from his hands the second he lifted his eyes to mine, and backed away to the farthest wall of the kitchen.

I merely watched, taking in the great feeling of being the dominator, and having someone below me. It was my favourite feeling.

But I wasn't supposed to act like this. I was supposed to be the soft, caring girl he had lost four years ago. I needed to be her for him, and I needed to be her for myself. It needed to happen for everything to work out in the long run.

I sighed, and spoke up. "Dad," I said simply. I didn't advance on him. I didn't think he could handle that. My presence looked like it was giving him a small heart attack.

Charlie was shaking his head severely, cursing, and then sitting on the ground, holding his knees to his face like a child would. Then he was crying. Crying, and laughing. But mostly crying.

I watched, feeling grateful that I was no longer that form of being.

Charlie rose suddenly, closing the space between us without any hesitation, and threw his boney arms around my shoulders. This was my first hug in my vampire form. It felt different to have someone in such close proximity. I was a major introvert, hated being touched, and didn't like anyone knowing stuff about me. That would have to change while I was here. I had to find my old roots, change for him, just to show that I could be selfless.

Charlie finally let me go, and stood back from me to get a good look at his long lost daughter, whom he'd thought had been eaten by the world. But looking at me now, he could see I had only been taken, chewed, and spat out again.

The poor guy was still shaking his head, and tears were pouring down his face. And just as I thought he couldn't get any more pathetic, his lips started to tremble. He wasn't even able to get a single word out from his mouth, afraid I might be a figure of his imagination.

But I sort of was, in a way, an imaginary creature. At least in the human world, things like me didn't exist. But Charlie was too dumb to see I wasn't human, and I was no longer the little girl he had lost years ago.

Then he fainted. His body fell back, head smashing the counter.

I smelled the blood before I saw it. There was thirst for it, deep in my throat, but I was good as restraining myself now. I hadn't treated myself to human blood in months, and I wasn't ruining my eye colour after working so hard to get it right.

My dad lay unconscious on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. His breathing was steady, but not very strong. The blood was still coming.

I sighed. "We have a bleeder on our hands." I walked over to the phone on the flower papered wall, and slowly dialled 911. The 911 operator answered. I spoke into the receiver. "Hi, my dad fainted, hit his head, and he's out. He's out on a picnic, pretty much." I listened to the muffled giggle, and I could hear the conversation of other workers in the background- something about poker night on Tuesday. No, that couldn't be right. Who plays poker on a Tuesday?

I stopped listening to the conversation in the background when the 911 operator person finally said something. "A paramedic vac is on its way over to…the Swan residence?" The woman's voice sounded surprised.

"Yep." Very good, you can read a monitor that says my phone's location.

"Oh I know your father. I didn't know he had another daughter." The woman was friendly. Too friendly for me. I didn't like how she said she knew my dad either.

"Umm, he doesn't. Just me…Bella." I didn't know why she needed to know that.

I listened for her response, but there wasn't one. Just heavy breathing, a quiet curse word, and then a crashing noise. More swearing came from other humans after. A fainter, no doubt. That's two for two. Hope the paramedics coming don't know my dad, and his sad story of the daughter he use to have.

I hung up the phone, agitated from the situation. It was going to be quite a long stay if I was going to have to co-exist with such frail beings. I didn't see how I could manage.

My dad was still unconscious. I stepped over him, and walked over to the kitchen window near the sink, and looked out into what used to be my crappy yard. A dog was tied to a tree, sitting at the end of his leash, wagging his tail.

_Max._ The little fucker was still around.

I rolled my eyes, and walked out to see him, leaving my dad pooling blood, and barely breathing. What else could I do? All I knew was I secretly missed my dog, and it felt good to see him.

My block of ice heart seemed to be warming. But not even a smiling dog could defrost that thing.

* * *

-x-


	2. A lot of Humans

**~ Chapter 2: A lot of Humans ~ **

* * *

An ambulance took my dad one way, and a patrol car took me another way. My father was headed to the emergency, and I was headed to the police station. And _lucky me_ got to witness a mob of small town folk in the parking lot, waiting to get a glimpse of the lost girl, who were all too curious for their own good.

"Stay close to me Bella," the young officer said, looking in the rear view mirror at me. "They're quite interested in you. I don't want an accident to happen."

I could have rolled my eyes. A little human guy, not knowing the strength I possessed, was laughable. I could throw him through the whole crowd of people outside the cruiser if I wanted to.

The young officer got out first, and began yelling at the town people to back away. I felt like a rare artefact being presented for the first time at a prestigious museum. But I was more interesting, of course. I was the girl who was kidnapped by a deranged maniac, only to return four years later, in perfect condition. Time didn't pass, apparently.

The officer opened my door, I stepped out, and that's when the people tried to get a closer look. The young officer stayed in front of me, hands in front of himself, preparing to shove anyone who came too close.

People gasped when they saw me. They whispered to their neighbours. They cheered. But most of all, they cried. I watched tears pour out of stranger's eyes. They were tears of joy, pain, relief…but mostly hope. They saw me as proof that prayers got you somewhere…when in reality, a vampire changing you before you died got you somewhere.

I couldn't understand the emotions of these frail humans. "Bella, welcome back!" a mad woman cried. I stared at her from behind the officer. She was larger, older, and greying. She was holding onto a younger girl, probably a teenager, who was also crying. I recognized her. She used to go to my school. Her name, though, I had forgotten.

"She's so pretty," a little girl whispered to her mother. The mother was kneeling beside her daughter, clutching her, all the while shaking her head in disbelief at me.

Was I really gone for that long? People were looking at me as if I was the miracle of the century. Maybe I was. But if they knew I wasn't the same girl who lived here four years ago, I doubt they'd be applauding my return. The Bella Swan they knew would never return. She was dead, and I wish they could see that. But that wouldn't be possible…

A news crew was in the parking lot too. I avoided them though, and let the young officer lead me into the police station, where no one but officers were allowed in today.

I wasn't surprised by how much the staring eyes bothered me. I never liked attention directed at me. But ever since I acquired a perfect face, a lot of wondering eyes found their way to mine. I felt uncomfortable by this- one downside to being a vampire.

Inside the tiny police station, I was offered a chair, and ironically, a donut, which I obviously declined. That's when the awkward staring from other police officers began. They too were transfixed on my being alive.

But I couldn't blame them. Who wouldn't want to hear the survival story of a kidnapped victim held against her will for four years? Of course, that wasn't the true story. In truth, I wasn't exactly as much of a victim as everyone thought…or at least, not for four years. Little did the town know, I was getting revenge for two of them.

The young officer seemed to notice my hesitation to acknowledge the smiles being thrown in my direction from the sympathetic officers. He led me into a more private office where I was left alone for some time, finally able just to think.

But I couldn't think. I wasn't able to remember why I thought coming back was a good idea. Did I ever think it was a good idea? I couldn't have. It was a terrible idea, now that I was here, I knew that.

Outside the office, officers started talking about me. They were more professional than the town people. "This is the first case I've ever been apart of where the victim turns up okay," a husky voice said.

"We don't know she's okay. She could have been locked away for years, and need serious therapy." This was from a woman, a bit of an emotional one at that.

"Considering what could have happened to her, she's lucky," the husky voice argued back.

"We don't know anything about her. Maybe what could have happened, _did_ happen to her, and she's just really strong faced." I recognized the young officer's voice immediately.

And you know what?...he was completely right.

It was a long ordeal to bring someone back onto paper. Not that anyone had killed me off, but they didn't exactly have filed proof that I was still living. Nah, I guess they _had_ killed me off.

After seven hours of arranging government files, making a trillion phone calls, and helping me decline every single reporter outside the station, the young officer took me home. Oh, but that was after they had locked me in a room with a therapist- which didn't go over well, to say the least.

The therapist was always on call for the police station, and dealt with victims of such cases as mine. But as I recalled, Forks had never experienced a situation like mine. I was unique- even more unique than they knew.

The therapist was a very tall woman, hidden behind brown hair, and purple framed glasses. She had disgusting teeth, and always seemed to be scratching her nose.

She also carried with her a notepad- which I didn't trust. "You don't need to tell me anything today, Bella. I'm merely here to listen. And if you feel you need to tell me something, I am all ears," the therapist, Jean was her name, said to me. She was sitting in a chair, across from an empty one, while I leaned on a wall across the room.

I stared at her. She stared back. I listened to her blabber on about confidentiality, getting stuff off one's chest, and the golden quote that 'life has both ups and downs'. But we weren't having a conversation, and she knew that, so after an hour, she finally closed her empty notebook and pulled her hair behind her ears.

I hid a smile to myself, only because she really was 'all ears'. She must have gotten a lot of listening done in her time. A knock on the door saved me from having to hold back my laughing. The door opened, and my saviour, the young officer, was on the other side of it.

"Come on Bella," he waved for me to come out of the room, which I was more than glad to obey. I didn't bother saying anything to the therapist. I didn't like her, and she didn't have to be a therapist to realize that.

As I followed the young officer back out into the main room of the police station, my eyes crossed over to a calendar, and that's where today's date came into view.

The 13th of September. Where hell first took over, then two years later, heaven came and saved me. It's funny how one day could be that eventful.

"Bella, do you want to go home, or should I take you to see your dad in the hospital? He's staying overnight for observations. He's okay, but they just want to make sure." The officer waited for my answer.

"I'll go home…" I trailed off. He nodded, and I followed him towards the police station doors, all the while finding it strange to say the word 'home'.

Outside the station, a crowd was waiting for me. Several were news crew people, holding equipment that I didn't know the use for, but most of the people were just curious- nosey was the correct term.

I felt like a coward, not ready to face them. What had _I_ done? I had simply survived, and they made it seem like I won the lottery, wanting to become my best bud so they could enjoy it too. They looked at me like I was a lucky charm, and if they got close enough, my powers to keep my head above the water would rub off on them.

The young officer didn't hesitate at the door, and instead of finding a back way out for me, he swung the door wide open. He yelled at my audience, along with other officers behind me, to get a distance away.

It was already dark out, the stars looking like stars, and bats flying overhead whenever I looked up. I stared up at the sky for as long as I could, but eventually the crying of my name pulled me out of the world where only I existed. I was forced to make eye contact with the crowd of red faced people, their eyes wide and scary. I didn't like how they found me so intriguing.

And then, before I could duck and cover into the police cruiser, a reporter rushed me, somehow getting in between the officers. I flinched at his close proximity to me, unsure what his plan was when his body came up a foot in front of me. But then his intentions came clear when he raised his camera, flashed the light in my confused face, and pulled it down to smile strangely at me.

I wanted to reach out and break his stupid camera, but officers where already pulling him out of my face, and then towing me towards the car.

I finally got myself into the passenger side of the cruiser, and the young officer shoved himself into the driver side. He ripped out of the parking lot as fast as he could, swerving every so often when cameras jumped in his way. The ride wasn't going to be too long, but I felt like I had to say something to him- to thank him, maybe.

But I didn't. I just sat, quiet like always, and stared out the passenger window.

He was the one who broke the silence. "You okay?" he asked when we turned into my road.

I didn't like that question. I _never_ liked that question. It didn't make sense. What was 'okay'? And if I said no, was he going to make it 'okay'?

I ignored it completely, and instead, asked him a completely off topic question. "What's your name officer?" I turned to look at his face. He had blue eyes, a few days growth, and neat, very short, dark hair.

"Dillon," he said, looking at me. I turned away.

"Officer Dillon…" I went on. "How 'child-like'."

He chuckled lightly, but that was it. The typical cop reaction, I guess.

"You look too young to be an officer, no offense."

He shrugged. "That's because I'm not, yet," he admitted. "I'm in the final stage to becoming one though, but I still need to drive around with a senior cop before my position becomes permanent."

I had stopped listening after about two seconds. I honestly couldn't care less. Lucky for me, I didn't have to listen to his voice much longer. He turned into my driveway, and I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door to get out. Then I realized something about what he had said, because apparently, something he said I did hear.

I popped my head back into the cab. "So where's your senior officer then if you're just in training?" I stared up at the house when he didn't answer right away. But before I could remind myself that I had to walk into that hell hole, he spoke up.

"That would be your dad," he admitted, turning off the car. "And I don't think he would mind me driving his daughter home."

I looked down at him, kind of shocked, but not really. It was a small town, so who the hell else would he be partners with? And I kinda hoped he got into hot water with my dad.

"Do you not remember me?" he asked suddenly, just as I was about to close the door.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "No. Should I?"

"Oh, well, I used to go to school with you…" he trailed off.

School? With me? How old was this dude.

"We were in junior high together. You were in grade 6, I was in grade 9. We were only in the same school for a year."

Only for one year, and like a hundred years ago. That's why I didn't remember. He wasn't even in the same grade as me. Why _would_ I know him?

"Yeah sorry, don't know you," I shut the car door, annoyed at the cop questions. But then, I heard his door open and shut, and when I turned around, he was behind me.

_What the…_

Dillon noticed my confused face. He looked at me, realizing something. "Oh, right, your dad probably didn't tell you. I moved in with him, a year after you…well I should be on my own eventually, it's not permanent." He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, and unlocked the door to the house…that I had to live in with him…

"He didn't really get a chance to say anything to me yet," I told him after the shock wore off. I followed behind him into the house, trying not to gag when he turned on the hallway light to show me my reality.

"You know where your room is, I'm sure. I'll be close by if you need anything," he said, taking off his belt and gun, and placing it on the hook in the hallway.

I nodded, and after he opened the fridge and took a beer out, he placed himself in front of the TV for late night shows.

I was pissed, only because I knew my plans of running through the woods tonight could possibly be ruined with his existence in my home. Dillon looked like the clingy, watchful type, and I knew he had something to prove to Charlie. And somehow, keeping an eye on his daughter would be the way to the chief of police's heart.

How was this happening to me?

I felt crowded all the sudden, like I needed to breathe and couldn't. I had to get out, and instead of finding a place in the house to hide in, I walked through the kitchen and out the back door to say hi to the only thing I liked in Forks.

Max.

* * *

-x-


	3. FOUND

**~ Chapter 3: FOUND ~**

* * *

The moon was high in the sky all night, and I was right next to it, high in the pine trees that were growing around our house.

Apparently it wasn't difficult to sneak out of my bedroom window. I used to do it all the time, and it was especially easy now that I was a vampire. What wasn't so easy was keeping track of Dillon, who was trying to keep track of me.

The little bastard had already caught me dangling my feet out of my window, which I didn't think was a big deal, but he insisted that it wasn't safe.

Maybe it wasn't safe for a human, but a vampire…laughable.

But Dillon was now fast asleep in the spare bedroom. I had already poked around in it while he dozed, noticing that the guy really liked to read. He had novels, piled on top of comics, piled on top of…cookbooks? He was weird.

Snooping through his room was uninteresting, and nothing caught my attention- that is until I found a familiar book.

Sitting on a shelf, in between junk and more junk, was _Tuck Everlasting_, the only thing that had kept me alive for those first two years of my departure.

I picked up the book, half wanting to throw it across the room, half wanting to start crying right then and there.

Could vampires cry? I had never tried…

I dropped it when Dillon turned over in his sleep, and instead of sticking around to see if he would wake up or not, I panicked and ducked out of the room at vampire speed. I wasn't getting caught tonight.

Adrenaline pumped through my body, all because an element of my past and I was reunited. I had almost forgotten about ever reading it. Memories of my past came crashing down on me. Memories of the attic room, of being alone, and of the blackest darkness I had _ever_ seen. That stupid book was the only good thing I had in two years, which was almost pathetic. But what _was_ pathetic was that I loved that book- and I still did.

But that didn't matter right now. I was back out in the pine trees, jumping through the forest like nobody's business. I didn't come across anything interesting. I didn't see one deer, rabbit, or other animal with four legs.

I had seen a lot of forests in my time. I was always traveling, on the move, and frequently called a 'nomad'. Meeting other vampires along my way was normal. The most interesting ones were the non-vegetarian ones. I respected the fact that they were true to their form, and accepted the creature they were. They just didn't respect me, which I couldn't blame them for.

My diet was an issue when I was a newborn. There was no question that I preferred human blood, but I had a huge problem accepting the fact that I constantly had a thirst for it. I didn't want any form of human life in me, and I hated the fact that I had a dependency on a fucking frail piece of shit.

Then I looked at my options, and chose to starve myself. I walked out of town, and through forests, not taking a single breath. But that's when I was presented with another option. One night, a deer walked past me, and I sprang at it- I could have sworn it looked like a human. I had gone insane from the thirst, but in attacking a pathetic deer, I found an alternative diet.

I was ashamed of my new diet. I loved being a vampire, but I hated humans so much that I couldn't accept the thirst for them.

While vegetarian vampires respected me, the true vampires disowned me. Through all my travels, I never came across a single non-vegetarian vampire who accepted me as one of them- except for the vampire that saved my life, two years ago.

The only true vampire that I came to befriending, and trusting was the one who opened my eyes, and showed me the light- in the clearest way possible. I would see this vampire a few times a year, as we both had an understanding for each other. Plus, we both loathed humans, only for very different reasons.

That vampire didn't know where I was right now, and would probably laugh at the fact that I was back in Forks, facing what I thought was my past. Even thinking the word 'Forks' made me cringe…

Knowing I had a place to stay tonight was strange. Normally I would pass over place after place, never wanting to visit a location twice. I would much rather keep jumping from tree to tree, mile after mile, not stopping to look back.

I know why I'm like that. I need to experience space. After living in a cramped hideaway for two years, why wouldn't someone want to break out, and just explore? That's what I did, anyway.

I stayed out all night, until finally the sun began to show off in the distance, exactly at the same time the newspaper boy dropped the paper on the driveway.

After watching him drive off on his shitty bike, I swooped down and snatched it up.

The cover shocked the fuck out of me. Front and center, an unimpressed picture of me was blown up, under the huge headline "LOST GIRL, FOUND".

I could have barfed, if I had anything to barf up. 'Lost girl found'? There were so many things wrong with this title. Lost- not exactly. I knew exactly where I was for two years- middle of the butt crack of nowhere, in an attic. And who says I was found? No one found me; I had to turn in myself…

"Oh well," I sighed to myself, "At least I look hot." I folded the paper in half, and threw it into the ditch. Even before I could walk away, I heard the dog running past me, headed straight for the paper.

"Fuck dog," I sighed. I turned to look up at the house, and there watching me was fucking Dillon. How annoying.

I waved up at him, making sure he knew I could see him, and when he moved away from the window, I turned it into a middle finger. "Fuck you Dillon…" I turned and ran back through the woods, all the while reminding myself that I put this all on myself.

I kind of wished my dad wasn't coming home for another while, but he had to make his epic return sooner or later.

-x-

He showed up at around lunch time, asking Dillon where I was, while I laid on the roof of our house praying that I didn't have to go through the 'Hey. Yes, I'm alive' thing again.

He did though.

After what seemed like hours of watching him break down again, he hugged me, looked at me seriously, and then asked the big question on everyone's mind.

"What happened to you?"

He was brave to ask such a complex question, especially this early on in the "recovery path", which was what the lame therapist had told the police officers.

I could tell him exactly what had happened to me. I could tell him from the very beginning, because I didn't forget a single thing. But he couldn't handle the truth. Not because it was gruesome, no, but because everything tracked back to him, and everything that happened to me was a result of what he did to me the night I disappeared.

I answered him easily, reminding myself not to be as harsh as he was the night he kicked me out. "Nothing," I told him, walking past him and out the door.

He didn't follow. That was smart of him. I'd probably kick him in the throat if he tried to get near me.

But 'nothing' was the truth. I had sat in the dark, with nothing, and doing nothing, for a long time. All I had were my thoughts, and that's what made the two years a hellish ride. Not knowing can be worse than knowing, and my captors knew that.

What pissed me off was that I was still thinking about the past. Why couldn't I enjoy the moment I was living right now, just streaming through the forest behind my house, and enjoy the feeling of the trees scraping my skin.

It's because I regretted coming back to Forks. I could never turn around the past, and make things better. I hated my dad, and it felt like just yesterday that the epic fight began. There were too many reasons I hated my dad, and I could have thought about them the entire time I was running― if something hadn't come out of nowhere and smashed me in the side, throwing me to the ground.

Panic hit me first, of course. Something wasn't exactly just a something, and I expected the worst when I looked up and saw a figure standing over me, and his flawless face and swoon worthy bronze hair told me he was vampire.

Oh, _and_ he was smiling a perfect grin.

"I knew you were a vampire the second I picked up that paper and saw your face across the front page." He spoke like he was talking to himself, never making eye contact with me, and just speaking matter of factly.

I continued to stare at him, waiting for him to pounce or something. But he surprised me by just talking some more.

"It isn't humanly possible to look that good when you're pissed," the vampire said. He finally made eye contact with me.

_What?_ What the hell is going on?...

He held out his hand to me, but I shoved it away, and got off the ground myself. And when he chuckled again, I couldn't take it anymore.

I tackled him, just like he did to me. "How do_ you_ like it?" I glared at him. But he just glared back, adding a devious smile to the end of it.

"You're angry. I wonder why that is?" the nosey vampire shoved me off of him. I fell onto my ass, but quickly got to my feet again to prepare for anything else he had for me. But he was through with messing with me, it seemed, because he just stared at me while he leaned on a tree trunk.

"That's not a question for a strange vampire to ask," I said. I didn't like how daring he was. Vampires with _this_ much courage were trouble. He was obviously a risk taker if he would do something so stupid as to attack without knowing what kind of result would occur.

"I'm not strange. I'm pretty normal." He moved off the tree and walked over to stand in front of me.

I wanted to ditch him, but if I turned my back, he might stab it. I had to talk instead. "I'm normal too, but I don't go attacking other vampires," I shoved him away from me again, but this time he held his stance, and grabbed my wrists before I could step away from him.

I couldn't pull away from his grip. This vampire boy was strong, but not as strong as one who would have a diet of human blood. That's when I finally noticed the color of his eyes, piercing into my own, the same gold as mine.

"You're not normal. Newborn vampires don't survive around humans," he glared into my eyes, trying to intimidate me. "They only slip up, and that's when you get a visit from the Volturi."

I could have laughed. He thought he knew so much.

"Are you one of them? I don't remember seeing you in Italy." I watched his eyes squint while he stared into mine. What was he thinking?

"You've seen them then? How foolish of you. No one goes to the Volturi unless they want to die. They are untrustworthy. You must know that. Are you suicidal, Bella?"

When he spoke my name, my temper flared. He seemed to know too much about me, and I felt extremely out of the loop. I ripped my wrists out of his hands, and lost the grasp on my temper.

"Who do you think you are? You know nothing about the Volturi. They are misunderstood, like me, and even you, but spreading terrible lies about them doesn't make it better," I yelled. "I bet they rejected you out of their coven too, and you're now holding a grudge against them. Well too bad for you. I got my second chance, and a vampire like you isn't going to ruin it!"

The vampire stood in front of me, failing to hold back a smile, and now, laughing at me.

"You are truly delusional. A second chance from the Volturi can never be a good thing. If you failed on a first impression, a second one will never be forgiven," he said, shaking his head.

I stared at him, truly at a loss for words this time.

But nothing he could say would ever have an impact on me. I would never believe his lies. The Volturi were the highest, most powerful, and most respected coven in the world. He was simply just afraid of them. I wanted _that_ power. I wanted _that_ respect. Being an ordinary vampire could never be enough for me. He didn't know me. I didn't know him.

"What is your name?" I said through clenched teeth. I would definitely remember it if one day my dream of living in Volterra, Italy was granted. He would be first on my hit list.

"My name is Edward Cullen. What's it to you?" he folded his arms, but he failed to look tough. His bronze hair and slim physique could never intimidate me.

He was so lame…and if I stood around him much longer, I would give the wrong impression that I didn't mind his company.

"Well Cullen, stay on your own side of the forest. I don't need you screwing things up for me," I watched him roll his eyes at me, but I didn't stay around to hear anymore nonsense from his lying mouth.

I ran back through the forest, all the while hoping to never see Edward, fucking Cullen, again, that is until I was a Volturri member. But the way things were going so far, it looked like I would never manage to prove myself to them during my stay in Forks.

I'll just have to cross my fingers I guess. Luck is everything.

* * *

-x-


	4. He's So Lame

**~ Chapter 4: He's So Lame ~**

* * *

**_3 weeks later…_**

School.

A simple word, with a simple spelling, consisting of six easy letters. Too bad 'simple' and 'easy' didn't cross my mind when dad registered me into Forks High School.

That's right, he was making me, a "nineteen-year-old human", attend classes in the tenth grade- right where I left off when I was only fifteen.

Embarrassing. A complete and udder disgrace.

"I explained your situation to your teachers," Dad slid in a few pencils and paper into an old backpack, and passed it to me. "Not that they didn't know it already…"

He smiled. I didn't.

"Anyway," he continued, "just pretend that you're starting off fresh, and that nothing has changed." He pushed me towards the door, and I closed my eyes and pretended I was an orphan.

I wasn't that lucky.

"And before you go, I have a surprise for you. It's out in the garage." He tossed a set of keys towards me, which I turned in time to catch.

Just looking at the grime on the key, and the dirty Chevrolet keychain, I knew this wasn't going to be good.

"It's in the garage, and it's all yours. I wish I could introduce you to it, but I have to get out of here." He slurped down the rest of his coffee, ran out the door, and drove off down the driveway.

I forgot we even had a garage, to be honest.

I walked to the back of the house, where tucked behind several tall pine trees, the old barn/garage stood tall, but not necessarily strong. It needed a paint job, to say the least.

I jingled the keys in my hands, took a breath that tasted like rust, gasoline, and saw dust, and then finally slid the garage door open.

I gasped.

It was worse than what I expected- a lot worse.

I _wish_ Charlie had of been around so that he could introduce me to the sheet metal. I mean, was it a truck, or a field plough?

What I knew from experience, the worst form of torture was facing the unknown. _This_ very minute, staring at the truck, made me want to scratch my eyes out.

I walked towards the beast of a vehicle, praying the gift Charlie got me was hiding behind it. Unfortunately there was nothing else in the barn/garage besides hay, and junk. I cursed, got into the Chev, and after six failed attempts at starting the engine, lucky number seven made my day.

Go me.

"High School," I sighed, pulling out of the garage, along the grass, and down the driveway, "meet my ugly arse truck. Ugly arse truck, welcome to High School."

-x-

I hid.

The bathroom was the first place. But even small town girls needed to primp their hair, and I was instantly recognized leaning on a sink.

I hid in unused hallways. But apparently they weren't as unused as I thought. The lunch bell rang, and it filled within ten seconds.

For once, I had to go with the flow. I let the student body shove me through to the cafeteria, but I didn't let them find me a seat. Near the back, by the windows, a lone table greeted me.

_Hello table. How are you today? Good? Well that's just great, me too. _

When I took my seat, it only took me one glace up to know this table had a terrible view.

Edward, the vampire from the forest, was sitting in a table in front of my own. He wasn't alone either; four other vampires stared my way, making me feel uncomfortable.

"Come sit with us Bella," he yelled over the voices in the cafeteria. He grinned when I widened my eyes in horror.

"I'm fine here," I said not as loudly as him. There wasn't any point in yelling, his table was right in front of mine.

He rolled his eyes and lifted a tray of food.

That wasn't a good sign.

He pulled out a chair at my table, and sat himself down in front of me. "Hello Bella," he said, sliding his tray onto the table, and grinning.

"Edward." I nodded, acknowledging his existence. That was it.

"You're a quiet one, Bella Swan. Aren't you _at all_ interested in Forks?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him. He was still grinning at me, his eyes wandering over my face.

I glared at him.

"You must have questions for me. They're just burning at your throat, aching to get out I bet," he said. "Because I know I have several for you."

He waited for my response. He even made a lame gesture of checking an invisible watch.

So stupid. But I went with it. "Fine. Why do you have a tray of food in front of you?" I said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, you want to know that?" he winked, and then looked behind his back to see if anyone was listening.

He was so lame.

"Not reall-"I tried to say, but he cut me off.

"Okay, I'll let you in on it," he leaned closer to me. I leaned farther away. "It's a front for the humans. I don't want to come off as an anorexic, right?" He smiled, and leaned back in his chair.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Who fucking cares what they think. It's so inconvenient. It's a waste of time. I won't be doing that," I stood up, which Edward mimicked.

"Ohh, someone has a grudge," he looked me up and down again, just like the first day I met him.

"A grudge? I do not have a grudge-"

"Yes you do. A huge one too."

"Just screw off," I turned and walked out of the cafeteria, paying no attention to the eyes I felt burning holes in the back of my head.

* * *

-x-


	5. Field Trip

**~ Chapter 5: Field Trip ~**

* * *

My plan of proving myself to the Volturi to become one of them wasn't going so well. I had only been in town for about a month, and all I had accomplished was making the front page of a small town newspaper, and being followed by an annoying vampire boy.

If I truly wanted to prove that I was selfless, and trustworthy, I needed to start conforming back to the human world. Not to mention, I needed to quit acting like a miserable vampire that I knew I was deep down inside.

I could still hear their words that were meant to scare me.

"_Bella, rebel vampires like you are the reason we have our jobs," Aro said, circling me._

_I didn't know what to say. They had already warned me about terrorizing humans, and now, I was in their territory, and they didn't like that._

"_So, what should we do with you Bella?" Aro stared at me, and for a second, I sort of wanted to punch him in the face._

_I knew what I wanted. And I blurted it out too quick._ "_Make me one of you."_

_Aro laughed. So did Jane, and Marcus rolled his eyes. There was other laughter, but I didn't pay attention to it._

"_Seriously, I want to be what you are. I need the power, I want it so bad!"_

"_Quiet!" Aro wasn't laughing anymore, but by the look on his eyes, he was thinking about my offer. "You are too self-centered. You only care about yourself, and I can never see you looking out for the well being of this Guard."_

"_That's not true-"_

"_Listen to you! You are foolish to talk back to me, and deny your faults. I speak the truth, and you stand here as if you know something."_

"_I do know something, Aro. I know that I could do well by your side. I crave for the power, and I am depressed living as a plain, boring vampire. Terrorizing humans isn't enough…my life is a pointless existence."_

_Aro stared at me. He looked like he was considering me._

_I smiled, and looked around at the other Volturi faces. They simply glared at me._

"_Fine. I'll give you a second chance, not that I haven't already. I've already wasted too much time on you, Bella Swan. Don't make me regret giving you a chance."_

_I smiled. I could have jumped up and down. My future looked brighter. _

"_But before I let you in, you must put the pieces of your past back together."_

_My smile fell at the mention of my past. My dream started to fade away._

"_Yes, little girl. You left your town in quite a shamble. I know who you were. I know what happened to you. I know why you hold a grudge-"_

"_I do not hold a grudge, I simply-"_

"_Enough!" he held up his hand, and I locked my lips. I couldn't change his mind._

_He moved closer to me, just so that his face was inches from mine. I didn't back down, and I stared into his blood red eyes._

"_Go home, Bella Swan. Prove to me that you are not as self-centered as you come off. Give your small town a piece of mind from your existence. And then, only then, will I be able to make my mind up over you- if you succeed."_

_I closed my eyes, and images of things that I didn't want to see flashed behind my lids. I wasn't sure if it was worth it anymore…no it was._

_I opened my eyes, and the Volturi were all staring at me._

"_I'll do it. I'll return, if that's what it takes. And then I can be one of you."_

"_No Bella. You will not be one of us, not if you are like you are now. We will be visiting you in your town, and hopefully, your mindset on humans is different. Only then can we make a fair decision about you. Right now it's no, but later…who knows."_

_I nodded. I was discouraged, but I didn't show it._

"_I better not be disappointed in you. If you waste my time, you know what happens."_

_I nodded again, even though I didn't really have a clue._

I wish I knew when the Volturi would be visiting. A timeline would be so much easier. But they were known for their surprises, and keeping vampires in line. Who knows, maybe they'd show up today, and see that their second chance was worth nothing. I could be wiped off the planet in an instant, unable to accomplish my dream of the highest power.

That would be sad.

But today didn't hold room for sadness. Today was Forks High School's yearly field trip. I had foolishly signed up, thinking that maybe this selfless act could prove that I was trying to act human, to act normal, and to show the world that I was Okay.

Of course, the school accepted my application for the trip. I was pissed, but I knew they were giving me a pity vote.

Pity. I hate that word.

The destination of the trip was barely out of town. It was only a two hour bus ride away, not including the pointless pit stops for gas, food, and washrooms.

To say the least, I wasn't stoked as I walked up the stairs of the bus, and I was even less stoked when Edward came into vision from the very back seat of the bus.

For some reason, I walked up to him, and when he patted the seat next to him, I sat down.

"Hello," he said simply.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" I asked, looking down the aisle at the faces looking at mine. I glared at them, which they then snickered, and turned back to their business.

"Ahh, you want to know that, do you?" he leaned closer, which I then shoved him away.

"Screw off with your lameness. Why are you on a field trip? It's not even to a cool place."

"You don't think the city outside of Forks is exciting? There are malls, carnivals, and museums. So much diversity, and so much to see!" he put his arm over my shoulders, and pulled me to look outside the window. "Forks has nothing here, it just has trees, and rain. But there is so much more out there. Something for everyone…"

I pulled away from him. He didn't know what exciting was. Exciting wasn't lame carnivals. Exciting was swimming in rivers hidden in jungles where no human has ever set foot, or hunting along mountains where the fall could even do damage to vampires.

"I'm only here for something to do." I looked away from him, and concentrated on the bus driver, who was slowly starting up the engine, and looping around the parking lot.

"I'm here because you signed up," he admitted.

I shook my head but didn't look over at him. "Figures," I said lowly.

He chuckled lightly to himself. I didn't.

And that was all that was said for the whole ride.

-x-

I was put in a hotel room with two other girls. Their names were Rebecca and Natalie, and God forbid you call them Becky or Nattie.

"I can't believe the size of this room. It's huge. They didn't singe out like last year, remember that Natalie?" Rebecca set her luggage down on the bed closest to the bathroom, which Natalie did as well.

"I know, it's gorgeous too! Look at the view! You can see the pool, and all the city lights!" Natalie yelped, jumping up and down with her friend.

I was stabbing myself on the inside. Natalie and Rebecca were going to be the death of me.

"Bella, have you ever been to the City?" Rebecca looked me up and down, and sat down on her claimed bed.

I nodded, and decided to scare her with the full, real truth. Why not make the girl feel out of place, and awkward? "Oh yes. This is where I ran away to four years ago. Only to be kidnapped, and never get to experience the city lights. I was locked away, and eventually, a lighter shade of darkness was the only way I could tell it was morning."

Rebecca looked over at Natalie, who looked just as shocked as she.

"Not to worry, even the worst of stories have happy endings. See?" I walked over to Rebecca and sat down next to her. "We're here together, us girls, and we're going to have the time of our lives!"

Rebecca was still paralyzed, and Natalie had to jump in with a fake smile and nod for her.

"Oh and one more thing. I don't want to scare you guys, but sometimes I have night terrors, and I scream and throw things. If you get a lamp in the face, it's just me. It's nothing, go back to sleep." I stood up, gave a fake happy smile, and left them to their thoughts.

* * *

-x-


	6. Not a Big Deal

**~ Chapter 6: Not a Big Deal ~**

* * *

I walked outside along the pool patio. The air wasn't as fresh as Forks, but that was to be expected- we were in the city.

I stood on the very ledge of the pool, looking down at my reflection.

My hair was incredibly dark, and long. My eyebrows were angry, and my eyes were dark. I was thirsty, but I could hold off. I was strong.

I looked at my reflection for awhile, staring deep into the water below me. But my concentration was lost when a bronze haired vampire suddenly came up behind me, and shoved me into the pool.

I growled underneath the water, angry for the childish antic. It was so stupid. He liked messing with me. And the chlorine smelled ten times worse with vampire senses, making me hate him even more.

I had my head above the water within five seconds, and turned to look up at Edward.

"Hello Bella," he said simply, smiling down at me. He knew what he had done was foolish, and avoided my gaze by walking along the pool ledge and staring into the water.

I swam towards him, and that's when he figured out my intentions and backed away. I pulled myself out of the water. "Wow you're an asshole." I said, standing up and wringing out my shirt.

"It was just for fun. Aren't Vampires allowed to have fun?" he asked with that stupid smile on his face. I hated how he played everything off as light when he knew our world for its true darkness.

"Hilarious," I said lowly, shoving past him, but he grabbed my arm, and swung me to face him.

"You need to relax, Bella." I didn't like the way he was looking me over, or how his joking tone had gone away. "You're not away anymore, so you can start living," he said seriously.

I stared into his eyes, shocked at where this was going. I felt light headed just thinking about what he was telling me. As if he even knew what my past life was like. I was living now. Hell, I was existing at least!

I shook my head, not knowing what had just happened, and shoved him away from me. "You talk about my kidnapping as if it were a vacation. I applaud you for trying to tip toe around the analogy, but in reality, it was so much more than being _away,_" I spat back at him.

"I know. I feel sorry for you. I want to help you, but you clearly do not let anyone help you. I'm just curious. I've never met someone like you." He let go of me, and I stood in front of him, taking me in like a painting.

"I'm your typical vampire," I lied.

"No. You're really not. You are much more. And so is your story. How is it that a newborn, four-year-old vampire, can restrain oneself around humans? I'm much, much older than you, and still, there are days where I can barely tolerate it."

"Oh, you're mistaken. I am only two-years-old. I am forever a 17-year-old girl." I moved to get past him, but he quickly stepped in front of me.

"That means you are even more interesting than I realized, Bella Swan. How did you come to be?"

I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood for violin solos tonight.

"No? Okay, well we can talk about something else then. Or is there somewhere you want to go?" he asked.

"Yes. I am going back to my room, where I will try to wash out all this chlorine from my hair. Thank you, and see you tomorrow." I turned and walked back to the hotel.

-x-

Rebecca and Natalie were fast asleep, but that didn't bother me. I was taking a shower; I would just try to be extra quiet about it.

I undressed slowly, turned on the water and jumped in.

The hot water felt weird on my cold skin. I had it as hot as it would go, and still, the water merely felt like it was on its lowest setting.

I let the water from the shower head pelt down on my hair, washing away any bit of chlorine. It felt good, almost relaxing.

But the relaxing moment was put on the back burner though when a piercing alarm went off, and screams of two frantic girls filled the hotel room.

A fire alarm.

I rolled my eyes, and decided I wasn't going to let a false alarm bring me out of my rare moment of comfort. I ignored the girl's knocks on the bathroom door, and let the water continue to pour down my face.

Eventually, they left the hotel room, and in the hallway, screams of other students could be heard.

"Pathetic," I sighed.

I hummed a song I head on the bus today, and closed my eyes, forgetting about my settings. I imagined I was under a water fall, deep in the Amazon forest, all alone.

The screams in the hall eventually became distant, and that was when I smelled the smoke.

It was a real fire?

I laughed. Only on my field trip would something so bizarre and unexpected happen. It must only be a trashcan fire, set up by the local prankster.

I wasn't getting out of the shower anytime soon. I wasn't wasting my time outside for a prank, when I could be somewhat enjoying myself.

I hummed the song I had heard on the radio today, which I actually liked, and suddenly became aware of another existence in the hotel room.

Had Rebecca or Natalie returned for me? What foolish girls they were.

Instead of knocking on the bathroom door, the person opened it this time, and when I heard the voice, I screamed.

"Bella!" Edward yelled through the mist from the shower.

"Jesus Christ Edward, don't you dare step another foot into this bathroom!" I screamed, turning off the shower.

"Too late, I'm already in here. Now take this," he threw a towel over the shower curtain, which I caught before it could hit me in the face. "There's a fire in the hotel, a pretty big one too. We need to get out of here and get back to the headcount in the parking lot."

I laughed at him, and threw the towel around me to step out of the shower.

His eyes widened at the sight of me.

"Get an eyeful, Cullen. You'll never be seeing me like this again," I said, turning towards the mirror to fix my hair.

"Come on Bella!" he grabbed my arm anxiously, and pulled me out of the bathroom. I held myself back at the door.

"Hell no. It's barely a fire. And I'm not going out there like this." I looked down at my towel and bare feet, which he sighed at.

"Bella, we need to be at the head count- especially you. You would look quite suspicious if you managed to survive a four year kidnapping, _and_ a hotel fire."

"Psst, it was only two years," I turned away from the confusion on his face, and walked over to where my clothes were sitting on the bed. "Fine, I'll go. I'll see you in the parking lot."

He glared at me, which I glared at him back.

"I swear, I'll be down in a second."

He sighed, and walked out of the hotel room.

I rolled my eyes, slipped on the plaid cargo shorts and ripped up grey t-shirt I had laying out for me, and then laughed to myself. Something like a fire was incredibly lame now that I was a vampire. But I had a front to put on, so I left the hotel room, and was surprised to see Edward leaning on the wall outside my door.

"Oh yeah, come to hold my hand?" I walked past him, and down the emergency stairs.

He followed beside me, smirking.

"Yeah, and of course, I stayed for the view-" he laughed, but I smashed him in the ribs before he could get too far. "I'm kidding. I waited in the hall to make sure you came out. I didn't see you-"

"Okay, shut up."

-x-

We both made it back to the rest of our classmates, just in time for the headcount.

Rebecca and Natalie ran over to me, and hugged me, while I cringed and watched Edward trying to hold back chuckles.

The whole student body, and the rest of the hotel residents, watched as a room on the 8th floor filled with fire. Fire trucks raced into the parking lot, and washed out the flames with huge hoses. The damage was minimal, but our field trip leader still insisted on finding a better place to stay, after we got our luggage back, and headed for our bus.

"Bella, you are one crazy girl," Rebecca said behind me as I climbed onto the bus. I merely rolled my eyes, not knowing what to say.

"I know," Natalie agreed, "I wouldn't be caught dead in shorts like that."

I turned to see her pointing at my plaid cargo shorts.

I sighed, and noticed Edward glancing down at them, and then hiding a grin to himself. I shook my head at him, but when I closed my eyes to hide from the night's events, I couldn't help but grin myself.

_Christ almighty, was I seriously dealing with this shit…?_

-x-


	7. Tell Me A Lie

**Chapter 7: Tell Me a Lie**

* * *

We couldn't find another hotel with over 15 rooms available. But don't worry, the fire fighters came to the rescue, unfortunately.

"You can stay in our community center. It's large enough for all thirty of you, and there's plenty of supplies."

I wanted to gauge my eyes out when our teachers accepted the invitation with huge smiles on their faces. I especially wanted to gauge my eyes out when Natalie asked if we could have story circle, and use her talking stick. It got even worse when the teachers were thrilled with the idea.

I closed my eyes the whole way to the center, but that didn't make me go deaf. I still heard the giggles, and laughs of the two girls sitting in front of me, talking happily about this evening.

It had to be exhausting to be that happy _all_ the time.

Just thinking about it made me feel drained.

-x-

We did the story circle.

Natalie was the second to go, after Rebecca of course, with the talking stick thing. And she said that she had _the _scariest story for us that she had gotten from a novel.

I couldn't imagine that being true, but I was willing to give her a chance. I was still able to be freaked out by a good ghost story- even if I was a vampire.

"A teenager girl was getting ready for her family's Thanksgiving dinner, which was held at her Aunt's home annually," Natalie began, looking around at each of the student's faces.

_Okay Natalie, there is such a thing as over doing it…_

"The girl was very excited. She wore her best silk dress, tied her hair up into a tight bun, and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. When it was time to leave her house, she ran quickly to the car, and smiled at her father who helped her into her seat."

I looked around at the people listening to the story. They were fixed on every word, eyes wide, waiting for something exciting.

I yawned.

"And so, the family and the girl finally made it to the Aunt's. The girls face lit up when she saw her Uncle, and she ran to give him a hug. Everyone was so happy, and laughter and conversation could be heard from every room.

"Finally, after much anticipation, it was supper time. The girl ran to the huge table, which was set with the finest china, and the shiniest silverware. The girl sat down next to her dad, and covered her mouth in awe at all the food surrounding her. Mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, cranberry sauce, warms buns, and so much more. But the grand finale came when the girl's Uncle entered the room carrying a cooking pot, no doubt holding the star of the feast- the Turkey."

My eyes started to flutter. I didn't realize vampires could get tired. I looked across at Edward, who wasn't paying attention to the story, but instead, me. His eyes were glued to my face.

I looked away, a weird feeling coming over me.

"And so, the girl rubbed her hands together, licking her lips. She looked around at her relatives, who were doing just the same. And finally, her Uncle set down the pot, counted to three, and revealed…"

I stared at Natalie, who was acting out the pot revealing part.

"A ROASTED BABY!" she screamed.

Girls screamed, guys laughed, but most of all, people didn't respond to her story at all. I was one of those people.

"LAME! NEXT!" a boy screamed out, but he was told to shut up by a girl next to him because he didn't hold the stick, therefore he couldn't speak.

"Whatever," Rebecca yelled over to the boy. "Anyway, it's Bella's turn."

As soon as she said my name, I was shaking my head. But she threw the stick over to me, and for some reason, I caught it.

I was fucked. "Okay, soo…" I looked around at the eager eyes. I didn't know where to go with this.

"Just tell us a story!" Natalie said excitedly.

I turned with anxious eyes to Edward, who simply cocked an eyebrow. He wasn't going to be bailing me out.

_Asshole._

"Well, I have a scary story too…although I'm not sure I can top that last one…" I smiled at Edward, who shook his head. He was grinning.

"Well at least try!" Natalie said. She was so full of herself.

"Okay, I'll try, but I dunno…" I trailed off. Everyone waited, and I was seriously debating on what one to tell. I knew so many. I started in easily. "Once upon a time, a girl's mother died," I said.

It was your typical introduction to a story, right?

"Death is unexpected, and happens- or at least that's what the girl told herself everyday. Not once did she shed a tear, or mourn for her mother, for she was only ever truly raised by her father." I looked up at the people's faces, which were already mesmerized by my story.

_A bunch of cheap saps…_

"Eventually though, her emotions got the best of her, and had to come out. She didn't like that, and routinely acted out in horrible manners. She fought with her father, didn't come home from school, and partied hard at night.

"Her father grew tired of this routine, finally grew a back bone, and kicked his daughter out until she could learn to behave. The father expected a few hours, at most, until his daughter would come crying back to him- which he would then let her back into his home. But that didn't happen. The girl grew angry, and instead of returning home, she hitch-hiked out of town, until she reached a foreign town, just outside of a major city.

"The girl was excited, and although it was dark out, she chose to walk along the roads towards the city, hopefully able to find a café, or someone to mooch money off of. The girl _did_ meet someone, but not the sort she was hoping for…"

I stopped for a moment, looking around at their faces. They stared at me, waiting.

"To make a short story even shorter, she never made it to the city. She woke up in a foreign environment, lying on creaky hardwood, and dripping noises from pipes filled her ears.

"At first, she cried. That got her nowhere, so she became depressed, and let the constant darkness invade her mind. Eventually, she went insane, and not even the meals once a week, or her one paperback book, were enough to keep her mind at ease."

Everyone was staring at me. They wanted more. They wanted to hear the scary part. But the scary part was over, and only the happy ending was left.

"She was saved eventually. Not by someone…but by something…a vampire."

The student's eyes widened.

"And he bit her. The pain was bad at first. Fire ripped though her body, and every muscle felt like it was bursting out of her body. But the whole time the vampire whispered into her ear, telling her 'to feel pain means you're still alive'.

"The girl believed this, and after a while of a pain, it eventually subsided into nothing. But the real treat was opening her eyes to light for the first time. She saw every dust particle, and every reflection of light in the air.

"She was also strong, fast, and gorgeous. She was what he was- and this made her happy. It was her turn to get revenge on the world, to get back at the human that ruined her.

"She spent the first couple months of her vampire life as a pure rebel, searching for the one life that destroyed hers. She was at a dead end though- he was nowhere to be found. The girl was angry, and couldn't hold in the rage she felt about not getting that one kill she wanted. So the new vampire girl changed, and stopped her killing ways, but continued terrorizing human beings, hoping to one day to find that one guy…

"But eventually, this routine grew old, and she wanted more power than what she had."

I looked up from the floor that I had been staring at since I started getting into the story, and looked directly at Edward. His eyes were wide, and he was shaking his head, telling me to stop.

"So she joined another group of vampires, very powerful ones, and she became ruler of the world- the end."

I stood up from the ground, tossed the talking stick to Edward, and walked out of the room.

I felt like an idiot for exposing so much. But for some strange reason, my chest felt lighter. I was happy to let someone in on my life…humans too.

_How's that for conforming, Volturi?_

* * *

-x-


	8. OUT

**Chapter 8: OUT**

* * *

"That was a pathetic story," Edward said, looking up at the sky.

I stared at the ground, still unable to grasp how foolish I had been this evening. Revealing my life to a bunch of humans was wrong. _Very wrong_.

The night sky wasn't cheering me up either. I thought coming out on the roof of the community centre might lift my spirits. But so far, especially with Edward's company, I was feeling worse.

"Am I bothering you?" Edward asked.

I nodded. He was…I don't know why, but he just was. Every time I was around him, he showed me that what I was, the vampire looking for more, was a waste of time. He was content, and that made me feel terrible about myself.

"I don't see why…I'm just lonely, and so are you."

I didn't comment there. I couldn't deny or admit that.

"I like being around you. There's nothing wrong with that," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

I didn't say anything again. I didn't know _what_ to say.

He looked up at me, waiting, but after the awkward staring, he sighed lowly to himself.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"I said you're unbelievable."

I gave him a look that pretty much sad I had had it. And it was true. On the inside, I was screaming. I was screaming at Edward to run, run far away from me. Because miserable vampires like me shouldn't be with full of life vampires like him. That's what was so pathetic about me- I had a full life to live, yet I couldn't make up my mind on how to live it.

I sighed. "I'm a jerk, Edward."

"I noticed," he chuckled. He took a step closer to me. "But I still want to know you."

I looked to the ground. He didn't make any sense, but I was grateful for him, even if I didn't want him around. "I would have loved to have met you four years ago, or even ten years ago. Maybe then I wouldn't have gone insane, and ruined my life…"

Edward shook his head. "You can't ruin a life, Bella. You can do damage, but it's never ruined. If you're here, walking on this earth, then you're fine," he told me. But I didn't know how much of that was true.

Silence formed between us. I didn't know what to say to that. My life was ruined a long time ago, and becoming a vampire was my second chance. But so far, I was ruining my second chance at life. I wasn't living it; I was busy messing with humans, all because I couldn't stand them. Edward and the Volturi were right about me, and they saw right through me.

"Edward, remember that day in the cafeteria when you said I had a grudge?" I asked.

He nodded. "Of course."

"I do, don't I?" I asked him.

He smiled, and put his arm around my shoulders. "A huge one."

I shook my head, but deep down, it meant that I was acknowledging the truth.

"Why do you hate humans so much?"

I sighed. I guess it didn't matter now, everything seemed to be coming out into the open. "My mom was killed by a drunk driver. I never got over that. That's how my dad and I began fighting, because I had such a temper from being unable to show my emotions about her death."

Edward tightened his arm around me, like I was frail and admitting something that had been bottled up could knock me down.

"And then, when my dad kicked me out, I was snatched into a vehicle, and I woke up in an attic. I didn't know it was an attic at the time, but it was incredibly dark. I sat in the attic for two full years, eating maybe once a week, and loosing more weight than I had on me. I lost my mind. I couldn't keep myself together. I eventually didn't even remember where I was, or what had happened to me. I was just a blank person, in the dark, all the time."

Edward was a good listener- at least he looked like he was. He nodded at the right parts, and frowned at the bad parts with me.

"Human's are disgusting. They are murderers, and claim to be saints. Vampires know what they are, and I am glad to be one- most days. This is my second chance at life, and I want to experience it fully. But so far, getting back at humans is the only thing I have on my mind, and for some reason, I think being a member of the Volturi will accomplish something for me." I stood up, and Edward did also.

He didn't say anything.

"Have I scared you? Are you going to leave me alone now? 'Cause I'm _almost_ used to having you following me around, and I'm not sure if I want you to leave now," I said smiling.

He grinned. "Bella, I wouldn't leave you even if I wanted to," he said easily.

My stomach seemed to drop. It hurt knowing someone cared enough to look at you. I played it off as nothing though. "Cullen, come up with something more original next time. My fuck…" I leaped off the community centre, and Edward followed. And for once in what seemed like forever, I felt like a normal vampire.

* * *

-x-


	9. Assailant

**~Chapter 9: Assailant ~**

* * *

Weeks had past since I had talked openly about myself. I was trying to avoid the attention- it seemed telling my side would put more wood on the fire. But even the story of the girl who was lost and came back became old news in school. I liked that. Students grew tired of it all, and eventually, I could fade away into the crowd.

My "human" life was all too easy. Go to school, be fake friendly to other students, be friends with Edward, go home, hang out with Edward, and show my dad that I was back to normal.

Wrong. Easy wasn't it. Easy would be the word if dad would drop the worried parent act.

"Bella, I want you to talk to someone," he dropped his plate into the sink because the house is too lame for a dishwasher.

"I have. Talking gets me nowhere. Actually, talking makes me feel _worse_. You're not helping," I began to walk up the stairs to my room, but he grabbed my arm.

I glared at him.

_Oh dad, if you only knew how easy it would be to lose your arm…_

"At first it's going to be hard Bella. But then it will be fine-"

"I'm already fine. No point in messing with fine. Fine is _okay _with me," I ripped my arm out of his grasp, and turned my back to walk up the stairs.

"You could be better than fine, that's all I'm saying…" he trailed off when I shut my bedroom door to his non-sense, and that's when I came face to face with Edward.

"Hi Edward," I walked over to the window and closed it. It was raining, and I didn't feel like living in a damp room.

"How's it going?" he pulled up a chair and flipped through a magazine I had bought a few days ago. Why I bought it, I still wasn't sure.

"Good."

He eyed me from his magazine. I gave him a look.

"Oh, I thought you were fine. Now you're good? I didn't know I had that effect on people-"

I threw a novel at him before he could finish. Edward caught it before it could hit him in the face.

He looked down at the cover, and laughed. "Tuck Everlasting?" he grinned.

I stood and tried to yank it away from him. "Yes. And what?" I asked, still trying to get it from his grasp.

"It's so…" he trailed while I glared at him.

"True?" I asked, holding out my hand for the book. He looked confused, but he gave it up, and placed it in my hand.

I looked down at the cover while he stared at me.

"What Edward?" I asked annoyingly.

He rolled his eyes at me.

I stared back.

"What, were you seriously not going to explain?" he held his hands behind his head and waited for me to say something.

I sighed. "Tuck Everlasting was the book I read while I was "away". I read it on days when the moon was bright enough for a crack of light. I love this book. I get it." I threw it onto my desk, and went and sat on my bed.

"What's to get? It's an easy read."

"It may be easy, but if you actually think about what the author is saying…I don't know, it just makes sense to me, okay?." I laid my head back on a pillow, and stared at the ceiling.

"Are you talking about the river part?" he asked.

I lifted my eyes to his, rolling them in the process. Of course I was talking about the river part. I was the stone in the river, and humans were the river. I was stuck in life, while humans flowed free.

I didn't respond to his question. I didn't know what to say. I let the silence answer with a yes.

"You know, it's much better being a stone," he admitted.

I couldn't see how…

"Stones are cooler than lame water particles. You know that river is going to end up getting contaminated by manure and salmonella, and then it won't be looking so hot," he said.

I covered my face to keep from smiling from his lameness.

"Yes, you cover your face, Bella Swan. But you know it's true," he got up and jumped onto the bed, probably breaking it, and took my hands away from my face.

I smiled. His playfulness wasn't as annoying as I used to think.

"You have the best smile," he leaned closer to my face.

"Thanks."

He shook his head, and I smiled when he grinned even larger.

"You know how to check to see if a smile is actually for you?" he asked looking down at me.

I shook my head, 'cause I really didn't know.

"Kiss it," he said lowly, and before I knew it, he was leaning in and doing just that.

It was quick, easy, and wonderful. For something I had never done as a vampire, it sure was painless. It ended just as fast as it started, and then he looked at my shocked face.

He grinned. "Well, the smiles gone. I guess it wasn't for me then," he shrugged.

I rolled off the bed, a smile playing across my face. I didn't want him to see it.

But he saw it before I could get away. "What are you trying to hide Bella?" he rolled off the bed with me, landing over me, his arms on either side of my face, his body lightly on top of mine.

I stopped breathing, but a smirk stayed on my face.

"Oh that did it," he leaned in closely to my face, shamelessly staring at me. "And there's that smile…" his forehead touched my own, and just as he was about to press his lips to my own, a figure passing through the hall stopped in front of my bedroom door.

Dillon.

Edward was off of me at vampire speed before Dillon could do some damage by getting his gun or handcuffing him and taking him away.

But the look on Dillon's face said it all. "Out," he said through clenched teeth.

Edward stood still, and looked at me for an answer.

I just looked from Dillon to Edward, trying to hide my embarrassment, but also, trying to hide my anger against Dillon for killing everything.

Edward finally took a step towards the door. That was wrong, so I spoke.

"He doesn't have to leave. He's my friend, and you don't own this house," I stood on the floor, and walked over in between Edward and him.

"You're right, I don't own this house," he walked out into the hallway. "Charlie! Your daughter has something to tell you!" he yelled down the stairs.

My eyes bulged, and Edward's head snapped towards mine.

"Run," I mouthed lowly.

He was down the stairs quickly, and I heard the front door shut before the TV was even turned off.

If I was lucky, Charlie hadn't seen a thing. He was a typical slow human.

I glared at Dillon, who had his arms crossed watching me, as Charlie made his way upstairs. All three of us stood in the hallway, looking back and forth at each other.

"What?" Charlie finally asked, scratching the back of his neck.

I looked over at Dillon who had a smile on his face. He cocked an eyebrow in my direction. I guess I was supposed to say something. He was too chicken to rat me out tonight.

"Goodnight dad," I closed the few steps in between us, and gave him an awkward side hug, "I'm hitting the sack."

He had a confused look on his face, but he nodded and let me go.

"Night Bella. You too Dillon," he walked over to his room, and closed the door behind him.

I glared at Dillon.

"Wow, you're so much fun," I turned and shut my bedroom door behind me before he could say a word in his defence.

I looked out the window, and motioned for Edward to wait for me on the roof. I saw him jump from a tree and disappear into the air.

I sighed.

Dillon was a prick. He was incredibly lame. I knew I didn't like him. He was a loser, and acted like a child tonight.

Anger poured through me, and when my phone vibrated on my nightstand, I had to concentrate not crushing it as I flipped it open. But I nearly crushed it the moment I saw the message, and read who it was from.

"Just lookin' out," I read out loud the message in a pissed off voice. I opened my window, and climbed onto the roof in a fury.

Edward saw how pissed off I was, and he also saw me step back and hurl my phone into the darkness.

"Nice throw."

I ignored him, and walked the edge of the roof.

"Dillon's quite a character," he followed behind me along the edge.

"I know right," I stopped in place, and turned to look at him. "I was seriously thinking about attacking him just now."

He laughed.

I wish I were kidding.

* * *

-x-


	10. One Try

**~ Chapter 10: One Try. ~**

* * *

School was a drag. Especially when you didn't do what was expected of you.

"I think you're not trying, Bella." Mrs. Blair walked up in front of my desk, and crossed her arms.

I shrugged. "People think a lot of things. It's only normal."

Students chuckled around me. Mrs. Blair didn't. "Stand up Miss Swan."

I did.

"Go to the front of the class, and recite your poem you picked out."

"I don't have-"

"Now Bella," she pointed to the front of the class, just in case I didn't know where it was.

I sighed, rolled my eyes at her, and found my place in front of a bunch of student eyes. If Edward were here, he'd be laughing. But Edward was smart, and he didn't have to go back to grade ten like me.

The teacher checked her watch. It was the international sign for "hurry the fuck up".

I stared up at the ceiling, and searched through my memories of hearing a poem that meant something to me- or even ever hearing a poem at all. One came to mind. I almost laughed just thinking about it.

"The poem I chose to tell goes like this…" I began. "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn't…hunt it down and kill it."

Jaws dropped, and all eyes were off me and immediately on the teacher to see her reaction.

I smiled at the class, and turned to see how Mrs. Blair enjoyed the poem.

Mrs. Blair had a blank stare in my direction, but she wasn't making eye contact with me. She looked like she was severely thinking about something, or doing something- and that couldn't be good.

Her eyes finally flicked up to mine.

I grinned.

"Office. Now." She pointed towards the door; I guess in case I didn't know where it was.

"Okay."

I didn't mind going to the office. It wasn't a picnic, but it was nothing tragic. I had to explain to a short, fat man why I was sent there, and he actually laughed at my reason.

"Because I am a smartass," I told him, "that and I am not very good at class presentations."

The principal liked me. He gave me a warning, and said next time I would be getting a pink slip- _oh no, not the pink slip_…

-x-

My day got worse.

I went outside to the school parking lot for my "truck", and to my surprise, dad's cruiser was parked next to it.

Edward's eyes bulged at the site of it too.

"Can I go home with you?" I turned to him, "I'm not going over there."

He grabbed my hand, and we turned to run- but I bumped into a large figure.

"Dad…" I said surprised.

"Who's your friend?" he eyed our hands interlocked, which I let go of immediately.

"Edward," I said. I didn't bother doing a formal introduction. Edward knew my dad, and my dad surely knew who Edward Cullen was. "Why are you here?"

"I'm taking you somewhere."

"No. I have homework-"

"You never do it anyway." He turned towards the car, and I stood next to Edward. I definitely felt like running away.

He turned to look back at me. I sighed, and followed him. I gave Edward the finger behind my back.

-x-

Apparently Charlie wasn't over the fact that I didn't want to talk to anyone. That's why I'm sitting, arms crossed, in a waiting room for a therapist.

Charlie dropped me off and peaced out in two seconds. That was fine, I didn't want him around to see me do just the same in less than ten minutes.

Why was I even giving this a chance? Easy. The name on the doctor's office intrigued me.

_Doctor Carlisle Cullen._

A Cullen was treating me; therefore, it could be a walk in the park- crisis averted.

-x-


	11. Pretending

**~ Chapter 11: Pretending ~**

* * *

"Bella Swan," Doctor Cullen glanced down at my file, and flipped through my medical history. I was almost embarrassed; I didn't know what he would think about three broken legs, one broken wrist, and countless amounts of stitches.

"Correct." I didn't know what to say.

"You're quite lucky," he looked up from my file, and smiled.

I smiled back, but it didn't reach my eyes.

Luck was on my side in the past. Not now.

"So, your father said you don't like talking about yourself, or your experiences. That's understandable, and I don't blame you."

I exhaled. Relief washed through me. I liked this guy.

"Instead, let's talk about something else besides yourself," he leaned back in his chair, and put the cap on his pen. I liked that gesture.

"Like what?" I finally spoke up.

"Anything. The weather, sports, clothes…vampires…"

I snapped my head up at the last suggestion. I thought we were avoiding that topic between the two of us- pretending to be professional was how I wanted.

"Okay, are we seriously doing this? Maybe you have something to get off your chest, _Carlisle_," I stressed his name, downsizing him.

"Bella, there's nothing wrong with you. I know that, and I think you know that. Your father doesn't though. He misses the old Bella, and thinks she's buried deep down inside of you somewhere. But we both know she's probably not coming back."

"Correct."

"And so, the only thing different about you is all your secrets- especially the obvious one to me."

"Vampire. No duh."

"Yes. Bella, you look so much like the daughter Charlie had four years ago, but at the same time, you're the polar opposite."

I thought about what he was saying. It made sense. Charlie was still searching for the 15-year-old Bella Swan. But I wasn't her. I changed into something he could never figure out.

"I know. He wants me to be the blabber mouth I used to be. I would gossip about everything, and blurt out everything to anyone who would listen. It was actually quite pathetic. I'm glad I'm not like that."

"You like being mysterious."

"I guess. But I don't like talking about myself to him because we're not on the same level anymore."

"Level? Meaning him being human. You're saying that you'd be closer if he was what you are, or vice versa. You don't like him prying into your business, because he's human, and you don't trust humans.

I didn't say anything. It was true. Instead I sighed, and looked at the clock hanging behind him.

"What _did_ happen to you Bella?" he asked out of left field.

I blinked. "This is a joke. How can you sit here pretending to be a therapist?"

He looked at me, obviously perplexed by my question.

"Bella I _am_ a therapist. I've been a doctor since before you were born- human born, that is, and _way_ before that too."

"You're a vampire."

"Yes. You don't think a vampire can have a life?"

I shrugged. "I didn't say that, it's just not normal."

"Normal? Tell me what normal is, Bella." He stared at me, and I noticed him take the cap off his pen. I didn't like that.

"Not what we are." I stood up, and watched him scribble down my answer. He closed his notepad, looked up at me, and smiled.

"Alright, well maybe you'll change your answer later."

"I don't have later." I walked out of the doctor's office, and ran out of the building.

-x-

It was dark, street lights were on, and no one was around. I was supposed to call Charlie, but I didn't want to see him.

I walked along the lonely street, and looked up at the night sky. It was perfect- the only thing in this world that was. The moon was high, the stars were bright, and nothing of human existence blinked in the sky.

I would have stared up at it all night. But my head was suddenly snapped sideways from a solid vampire smashing into my side, and then dragging me into a dark alley near the sidewalk.

I was frozen in shock. _Who the hell was this_?

-x-


	12. I Hit a Brick Wall

**~ Chapter 12: I Hit a Brick Wall ~**

* * *

The vampire smelled of pine. A scent I didn't recognize from anyone, but when I looked up into the vampire's face, I sure as hell recognized the glare.

"Are you wearing cologne?" I smiled, keeping the moment easy and light.

He let go of my neck, immediately starting to pace while keeping up the angry look. I leaned on the grimy brick wall, waiting for the vampire that had saved my life two years ago to speak up.

"Bella…" he held the bridge of his nose, and closed his eyes. The shadows under them were dark, and when he opened his eyes, the bright crimson I was used to seeing on him wasn't there. His eyes were dark.

"Travis why are you in Forks? You shouldn't be- you look thirsty right now." I leaned off the wall, and snapped my fingers in front of his blanking face. His eyes finally looked into my own, and although they were still dark, I noticed they had more brown than red. "Oh my god, are you vegetarian now?"

He didn't say anything, which I took as a huge yes. I threw back my head and laughed. If he couldn't change himself, there was someone new in his life that finally cracked him.

"You have a mate," I gasped. "Travis? You're such a traitor!" I grinned, but the moment of fun stopped when I was suddenly being shoved against the brick wall. His hand clasped my neck again, and his other arm held me securely so that my back stayed on brick. I wasn't going anywhere.

Something was wrong with him. Not that he was ever the "happy-go-lucky" type of vampire, but this temper wasn't normal for a reunion between old friends.

"Listen to me," he breathed in my ear, "for once in your life, listen to me!" He was angry to say the least, and his glare was more vicious than I remembered.

"Travis I-" he didn't let me finish. He growled, tightened his grip on me, and smashed me into the brick again. It didn't hurt, but I heard a crumbling sound, probably the brick. If I were a human, that would have been my spine.

He lifted me up against the wall so that I was looking down at him. His body was still pressed hard onto mine, but I wasn't struggling to get out. I was frozen from not knowing what he wanted.

My jaw was locked, just like his. I waited for him to speak, but he was still trying to regain his composure, so I tried to ask him what he was doing here again. That was dumb of me.

I lowly spoke up again. "Is this about me living with humans, because I swear, no one knows about me-" I stopped myself when a menacing sound came from his throat.

"I COULD JUST KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!" Anger vibrated through his body. His face was masked with pain, and madness. He was trying to scare me, not hurt me. It was dumb of me to find this humorous, and it was especially dumb of me to slightly smile when he looked up at me.

He saw my slight grin, and that did it. He exploded, and fully let himself go.

I was off the brick wall in half a second, air born, being slammed into a dumpster, and then lifted back onto the wall in the next second. His hand was pressed even harder into my throat, hard enough so that I couldn't get a word out. From the wall I could see where my body had left an indentation in the dumpster, and I could feel the wall behind me crumbling as Travis pressed me harder and harder into it.

I struggled against him. I was beginning to get worried about his temper- he seemed to not be in control. I tried to squirm out from under him, but he had a good grip on me. Simply telling him to get off of me wasn't an option; my throat was slowly being crushed from his clutch on my neck.

But he suddenly let me go. Not because he felt guilty for scaring me; another vampire slammed into him, forcing him to loose his grip on me. I recognized the rips and growls coming from the new vampire, and I knew Travis could kill him.

"EDWARD STOP!" I tried to squeeze my body in between the two snarling vampires, but Edward wrapped his arm around my waist, and tried to pull me behind him- just as Travis yanked at my arm, and tried to pull me behind him as well.

"LET GO OF HER!" they both growled simultaneously. Flickers of confusion crossed their faces- not long enough for anger to mask over it.

"How about _you two_ LET GO OF ME!" I tugged at the arms pulling me in separate directions, but neither party loosened their grip.

I glared at Edward, whose attention wasn't even on me. His eyes were fixed on Travis. Edward gave one last yank, and Travis finally let me go. Edward didn't drop his arm from around my waist- he actually tightened it.

I stared at Travis, who stood from his crouched position, and stared back at Edward and I. He was getting the wrong impression of us being so close together.

"We have A LOT to talk about Bella," Travis growled through clenched teeth.

I wanted to punch him and yell at him, but mostly ask all kinds of questions. But he backed away from me, and the darkness of the alley engulfed him.

He was gone. Edward and I were left alone in the alley.

I knew I would be seeing Travis very soon. That seemed to ease the tension that was building up in my body. Answers would be headed in my direction soon.

I sighed, and Edward let me go. I knew Edward was eager to know what just happened, but maybe I could get away without dealing with that tonight.

I took one step towards the exit of the alley, and he was already blocking me from leaving. I took a step to get around him, but he put his arm out to stop me.

I looked into his eyes. His face was hard.

"You see, Travis had a different approach than you. Compared to him, you sorta look like a pansy." I put my hand on his shoulder, "But hey, we're not all tough brutes like Travis." I slid my hand off of him when he closed his eyes, and shook his head. I was smiling, but he wasn't.

"That vampire that was just trying to kill you is Travis?" he crossed his arms, and stared at me.

"Yeah. We're on a first name basis, if that's the answer you're looking for. We know each other."

"Clearly."

"I know, he has issues. I don't know what he's doing in Forks. I haven't seen him since before-" I stopped myself, realizing why he was here. He must have found out about me going to the Volturi…

"Before what, Bella?" Edward uncrossed his arms, and was looking down at me with eager eyes. I stared blankly at them, and then shook my head.

"Before I moved here," I sighed. Hopefully Edward would swallow that. I didn't like talking about the Volturi around him; he just didn't understand their way of life like I did.

Edward gave me a look, but took in the information. But he was still concerned about Travis.

"I don't understand why he was attacking you like that." We both walked out of the alley, and I looked up at the moon. It was half covered now by clouds.

"He's always been somewhat like that. Although, he's never really acted like that towards me. He was really angry tonight. Hopefully I'll figure out why."

Edward stopped walking, and I turned to look at the confused look on his face. I gave one back to him.

"You think you'll be seeing him again? I don't like that…" he trailed off when I shrugged and turned around to keep walking. He was by my side walking with me wanting an answer.

"He's my friend. He taught me everything I know…" I sighed.

"What? I thought you woke up a rebel vampire and you lived on your own."

"Not really…I don't know…sort of." I didn't want to tell him about Travis. I knew he wouldn't take it well. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Hell no!" he yelled. "What are you keeping from me?" He grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. I yanked my arm out from his, and he didn't grab it back.

Fine. If we wanted to know, fine.

"Travis is the vampire that turned me," I said simply.

I watched as Edward took in the information, and his eyebrows furrowed, and next thing I knew, I was being shoved into his chest, and his arms were wrapped tightly around me. He hugged me.

"Bella, I am so sorry," he whispered.

Sorry? For what? "Hmm?" I pushed him off of me, and gave him a questioning look. "You're sorry?"

"Yes, I shouldn't have let him get away. He ruined your life-"

"What! Ruined my life? He saved me from it!" I was angry at Edward for even thinking something so stupid. Travis opened my eyes to a better world where humans were scum, and I was always better than them.

"You're unbelievable Bella. You had another option. He could have just saved you by bringing you home. He didn't have to turn you into a monster!"

Anger pelted through my body. I couldn't form simple sentences anymore. All I could do was shake my head while holding back a growl that was forming in my throat.

"You know it's true," he said lowly.

That did it for me. This must have been what Travis felt like.

I smashed into Edward, throwing him against a building across the street, and then pinning him against it. "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about!"

He didn't say anything. He didn't struggle against me. I wanted him to fight back, but he simply stood back against the wall, and stared at me.

That pissed me off. I understood why Travis was so angry now. I wasn't paying attention to him, just like Edward wasn't now. But I didn't bother throwing Edward across the street, or dumping him into a dumpster.

I let him go, backed away, and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

-x-


	13. Shut Up & Learn

**~ Chapter 13: Shut Up & Learn ~**

"I see you Travis." I stayed sitting on the roof of Charlie's house. Dillon and Charlie were both fast asleep after yelling at me for not calling either of them. I still didn't know why Dillon was apart of the argument. I'm not his property. Then again, I'm not Charlie's either.

Travis was sitting high in one of the pine trees near the roof of the house. I had been correct to assume he wouldn't hold off on talking to me. I watched as he jumped from a high branch right down next to me.

He stood over me, and I didn't flinch when he offered me his hand- the fighting must be done with. I took it, and shook, not knowing if we were calling a truce, or if this was old friends starting over.

"Feeling better?" I cocked my head up to look up into his face. It was still stern looking, but not as angry as earlier today.

"Uuggh, sure," he said. He sat down beside me, and looked up at the sky with me. I'm sure he didn't find the sky as great and exciting as I did. He wasn't into that sort of lame stuff like me. "We need to talk." He didn't look at me.

He wanted to cut right to the chance. I liked that. I was fine with that. I didn't need a bullshit reunion. I had seen him about a year ago anyway, so it wasn't like I missed him. Well I missed him a bit…

"I assumed that much." And I had. No shit. That's sort of why he was so angry with me. I had done something to piss him off.

He pulled his hand through his hair, and looked down at the shingles on the roof. He seemed to be struggling on where to begin. I didn't dare say anything; if I learned anything today, it was that he didn't like being interrupted.

"You need to stay out of the Volturi's business, to say the least."

I knew it. I knew he had an issue with me talking to them, but I wonder if he knew the whole story. Hopefully not. I didn't respond. I didn't know whether to argue back, or lie and agree with him.

"Why the fuck would you want to join them?!" his voice was starting to sound like earlier today. He seemed to know the whole story. Well fuck me…

"Why does it matter?" I said, ripping a small piece of shingle off the roof, and chucking it into the darkness. I watched it flip through the air, and slide in between the trees. That's when I noticed that we had a visitor. I didn't tell Travis.

I glared at Edward while Travis stood and started pacing the roof. Edward only glared back. He sat quietly in the tree Travis had just been in. Maybe I should've told Travis that Edward was lurking around. He was beginning to get clingy, and I didn't like baggage. But I didn't bother.

"Travis, what's going on?" I stood, and stepped in front of him. His face held a lot of pain, and he ripped his hands through his dark hair again.

"Fine! You want to know what's going on?! I'll tell you," he shoved past me, but didn't jump off the roof like I was hoping. "You're fucked." He threw his hands up in the air, while I crossed mine and leaned back on one leg. It seemed like the human thing to do. I was getting good at acting like one.

"Why?"

"Because you messed with the Volturi, that's why. When you got into trouble with them for beating up humans, they gave you a second chance. And when you went whining back to them for a place with them, they had had it with you. You were never anything interesting to them, Bella. You think you could be a member of there coven?! You're nothing. They were just screwing with you…" he turned to face me.

I didn't believe a word he said. I had a chance to be one of them.

"The Volturi are just messing with you. They're watching every move you make. They knew you'd go back to Forks, and they knew it would be hard on you. They want you to suffer, and then when you return…you're done."

I turned away from him. What he was saying wasn't true. The Volturi were the most powerful coven, why would they waste their time with mind games? But the real question was would they waste their time with me- was I an asset to their coven?

"You know it's true," he said lowly.

What, was that his new quote of the day?

"No I don't. I don't know what is true. I don't know what to believe, and what to ignore. What you're saying sounds so lame-"

"I didn't even have to come find you, but I did-"

"How the hell do you even know about the Volturi and me?"

He hesitated. I cocked an eyebrow. That's when everything came pouring from his mouth, and my stomach felt like it could drop.

"You're not the only one who knows how to get into trouble with the Volturi. One time in my life, I was dumb like you. But I didn't have a friend to tell me not to mess with them, like you do right now. And just like they did with you, I was given a second chance to follow the vampire rules. That was fine with me; they didn't need to tell me again. Everything was golden until I found this girl…"

My head snapped up at the mention of a possible love interest in his life. I couldn't believe it, his heart was literally stone. Anyone who was able to get into it must be inhuman- most likely.

"A human girl…"he said covering his face with his hands. He was so ashamed.

I didn't comfort him. He wasn't into that- made him feel weak. I just listened.

"I fell hard for her too, Bella. I couldn't lie about what I was. For the first time in my existence, I felt like a monster compared to her. She was so pure, and fragile- while I was a killer, and had animalistic qualities. It took meeting an angle like her to realize that- it only took 80 years." He laughed after, but it didn't reach his eyes.

I waited for him to continue.

"I told her everything. I told her what I was. I told her I only look like a 19-year-old with a future in modeling, when really living as a vampire was the only thing possible. And what was insane was she didn't run away…"

I smiled. Maybe this story did have a happy ending.

"I asked her to marry me." He grinned to himself, and just from the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't even with me anymore. He was thinking of her. I couldn't even believe this was the same vampire I had met two years ago. He had changed so much since I had seen him last. I stared at him, and the sad look on his face made me fearful of maybe this story not having a big bow ending.

I waited for him to continue.

"And she said yes. She shouldn't have though…I was stupid to ever ask her!" he was getting angry, just like earlier today. This girl seemed to be the cause of most of his anger. Something bad must have happened….

"What happened to her?" I said lowly. I waited for the explosion, but nothing came. Instead, his body shook- and if he were human, tears would have been streaming down his face.

"Everything…" he whispered.

I translated 'everything' into The Volturi coming back into his life some how.

"They took her, Bella, THEY TOOK HER!" his anger was back now, and I told him to settle down, but he wouldn't. "You don't understand. They TOOK HER! AND THEY TOOK HER LIFE AWAY!"

I held up my hands, trying to get him to relax. But he had every reason to freak out at the world.

"I'm sorry Travis. I don't even like saying that because I know that means shit all to you. But I'm not trying to sound like an asshole, but why did they do that to you?"

"You know the rules of being a vampire, Bella. Or at least you learned them when they were told to you by the Volturi when you got into trouble."

"The main one being to keep our existence a secret…" I trailed off, realizing why the Volturi had intervened- he broke the rule. She was the only thing bright in his life, and they took her away from him. The worst form of torture was watching it be done on someone you cared for- or in this case, someone you more than cared for.

"She's dead now."

I snapped my head up to stare into his dark eyes. Did he know that for sure, or was he just a downed. "How do you know that?" I accused him with my eyes.

"I watched them kill her. That's how I fucking know. I went looking in Italy for her, and I saw them do it."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"A few days ago, maybe. I don't really know. I had to get back to Forks to find you, to tell you you're next."

I looked up at him with bug eyes. I didn't like the Volturi anymore, to say the least.

"I was a mess after they killed her- I still am. But I didn't have time to grieve for her, not until I got my revenge. I almost attacked the Volturi in Italy, but I over heard them talking about your doom."

I was frozen in place, and my full attention was on the words coming out of his mouth.

"They are planning on coming for you, and if you don't do something about it, you're done. I don't want them to get satisfaction in that-"

"I should surprise them instead of them surprising me!" I grabbed his arm, and yanked him off the roof with me. We landed on the front lawn easily, and I walked towards the woods with him. "We should go to Italy, and totally catch them off guard. They shouldn't get away with killing your-"

"You're kidding right." He stared at me with a mocking face. I wasn't sure if I should be kidding. Was that a bad idea, was it lame?

"Of course," I said lamely. "Yes, I am kidding."

"Ok, cause that would be insane, and I have things to do."

"Things to do?"

"Don't worry about it. I just came back to tell you to get out of here. Promise me you will?"

I nodded. I would love to get out of Forks. Where I was going, well, that was still undecided.

"Ok, don't do anything dumb, and DO NOT go near Italy. You can't get them to change their minds about you Bella. They'll get what coming for them some day, but not soon. Don't worry about them, just get out of here."

I stared at him, smiled at his serious face, and nodded one last time. He then turned his back on me, and he was out of my life again.

Wonder when he would be back. Hopefully I'd seen him some day real soon.

I didn't follow him. Not because the interest wasn't there, but because Edward was suddenly blocking my view of the direction Travis disappeared into.

"Hi Edward. I thought we were done with each other."

"That guy is insane, but he's right," he grabbed the tops of my shoulders. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not going to work."

I shoved him off of me when he started to shake me. "You know nothing. We are done hanging out Edward. I don't think I can take anymore of your bullshit. I KNOW I can't." I turned my back to him, and walked back towards the house. He followed. Duh.

"I know what you said about going to the Volturi is true. You actually want to do that. That's not cool, and maybe you should forget about it."

"And what would I do then, sit around and wait for them to come find me?"

"No."

I stared at him and waited for any suggestions.

"We could leave Forks."

"We? Why we. WE don't get along most of the time."

"Yes we do, Bella. Just these past couple days have been insane, that's all. But we're perfect for each other…"

I stared at him. What was he saying. Like mates? Friends? Brother/sister type of a relationship?

"What does that mean anyway? You like me, don't you Edward," I smiled, and twirled around like a school girl. "You and me, sitting in a tree, k. i. s. s. i. n. g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes- well no, that wouldn't really happen-"

He suddenly grabbed me and shoved me up against the house, and put my arms above my head. I shut my mouth and stared into his golden eyes.

"You do like me, probably just as much as I like you."

I shook my head no, even though I knew it was a lie. He just made me feel so angry sometimes…

"Whatever, you can play games. But there are more important things to be worrying about tonight. Like how you're going to tell Charlie you're leaving Forks. Any ideas?"

I hadn't. But a new idea suddenly popped into my head. And if Edward was really serious about following me everywhere, he would probably be game for this brilliant idea.

"I have one. Marry me."

He blinked, and leaned away to stare hard into my eyes. That threw him off, to say the least. "I'm sorry, marry you?"

"Ya. We'll tell Charlie we're engaged, and we're moving away to start a new life. It's brilliant." I tried to squirm out from his tight hold on my arms, but he held them hard above my head, and he suddenly pressed his body hard into mine. My back was flat against the house, and I wasn't going anywhere.

"Bella Swan, I've been waiting to ask for your hand in marriage since the moment I attacked you in the forest." His face was two inches from mine, and I could feel his cold breath on my face.

"Well go for it, hurry up before I say no."

"Will you marry me?" his eyes were wide, and brighter than I had ever seen them.

"Ugh, since you're cornering me…I guess," I shrugged. "I can't wait around for Dillon, so you'll do."

He grinned, kissed me, and kissed me some more. I even kissed him in between him kissing me.

We finally separated, and I stared at him.

"Now what?" I asked.

"I have the father-in-law to meet," he offered me him arm, which I looped mine into.

"Lovely."

***


	14. Idiot

**~ Chapter 14: Idiot ~**

No one was thrilled about the situation of the proposal, and as time went on, I even seemed to ask myself how I got here. This morning I was living a plain vampire life, and now, pretending to be in love and running away to get married was my reality.

Was I actually pretending to be in love? Yes of course, I think. I don't know. Yes. No? Whatever. All I knew was that Charlie was pissed, Dillon was even more pissed, and Edward was neutral.

Neutral is good. Neutral I can handle. It's easy to get along with, and very tolerable. Showing no emotions is good.

It was too bad Edward couldn't hide his emotions forever. He didn't like the sign of me pulling into the Air Port. He reeeally didn't like it.

"Why are we here? I thought we were going on the road." He kept his voice calm, but his worried eyes gave him away. What was he worried about?

"Italy. I mean, come one, you said it yourself. You knew I wanted to go see the Volturi."

"We. Are. Not. Going. To. Italy." He said through clenched teeth.

I sighed. That was really too bad. I guess it was going to have to be one of those short engagements, not followed by a wedding.

"I hate that you feel that way, there's the door." I nodded towards the passenger car door handle, and waited to see if the only person in my life that cared for me would use it.

***

The flight to Italy was long- maybe because I felt terrible for ditching Edward. I couldn't stop thinking about him, but it wasn't my fault I was doing this alone. He was the one who got out of the car. I merely showed him the exit; he didn't have to take it. It just sucks to see how good things don't last.

***

The alley way and corridors were nothing exciting. I had seen them too many times to count, and they held zero interest for me. What held my interest was what was beneath the grounds of the ancient buildings. But I was caught off guard when a cloaked figure surprised me even before I could get inside the hidden tunnels.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" Demetri stood tall in front of me, and I hesitated near an alley wall. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me- like I had startled HIM.

"Well, I know you and your coven obviously don't want me, so I've come back to apologize for the inconvenience I have caused you." My hand trailed along the wall while I watched him turn his back to me and walk along to a hidden entry to the chambers. I followed behind him, and jumped into the entry when he motioned to do so. Beneath the city, it was dark, but he quickly led me to the room which was very familiar, and sitting at the front of it was who I needed to see.

"Bella? Bella Swan. Why are you here? You have brought with you a turn of events for us. Now what is it this time?" Aro stayed sitting in his huge thrown like chair, and I walked to the center of the room to begin my begging.

"Hello Aro. I did not see myself coming back before you sent someone yourself, but it was necessary." I looked around the room, and for the first time noticed other vampires lingering near the edges with hooded cloaks. I suddenly felt uneasy.

"Necessary. That is incorrect. I believe it was agreed that we would come to you- not the other way around." He held his hands in front of him, and I watched him study my stance. "You haven't made a very good impression for yourself over the years Bella. And every time I see you, I feel like it's one time too many."

"I know, but you see, I've changed. I don't even really need to be apart of your coven anymore. I just want peace between us. That's all." I pleaded with my eyes, but he didn't notice.

"So what you're saying…"he looked towards one of the hooded figures and then back at me, "is that you're declining a position in our coven that was never even offered to you."

I cringed on the inside. The way he put it made what I just said sound so dumb. But I nodded anyway.

"That's what I thought." He stood up, and motioned with his hand for a short hooded vampire to come over to where I was standing. The hooded vampire obeyed, and I recognized her as Jane when her face came into view. "I knew you were a foolish girl Bella, but foolish enough to come back here…." He laughed. I looked franticly at him. I didn't know what he was going to do. "Do your worst Jane".

Jane was the vampire beside me, and when she turned to glare at me, I shut my eyes. I had heard from other vampires that Jane was very good at inflicting pain, so I knew something uncomfortable was headed my way.

I waited.

Nothing happened. I cautiously opened my eyes, and she was still glaring, if not harder, directly at me.

Aro laughed. Jane continued to glare. I turned to look at Aro.

"A new revolution…" Aro walked down to stand in front of me. His face was inches from mine, and normally, I would have been frightened. But the anger and frustration had dissolved from his face, and now pure curiosity spread through his paper like features. He placed his hand on my cheek, which felt extremely soft, and extremely cold.

He removed it, stared at me, and smiled when I cocked an eyebrow.

"Demetri, I think the question to why we couldn't pin point Bella finally has an answer." He turned to look Demetri, who then stepped into the center of the room.

"My power does not work on her; I can not find the tenor of her mind- as I assume you can not either." Demetri said.

"You are right to assume such a thing. Her mind is blank. It's as if I placed my hand on a table."

I glared at Aro and Demetri, who both had devious smiles forming across their faces. They turned them to look at me, and my stomach could have dropped.

"Bella, it seems you're more interesting than what we first thought." Aro turned to take a seat back down in his thrown. I wanted to turn and run. "How does a spot in our coven sound?"

_Fuck. _This was not how things were suppose to turn out. I didn't want a spot anymore. I wanted a truce, I wanted to be forgotten. But only an idiot declined invitations from the Volturi, and those idiots didn't live long enough to feel the regret.

"Sure." I said without any enthusiasm.

"Excellent. A room and wardrobe will be found for you. I see great possibilities for you Bella, very great possibilities." He got up from his thrown, and walked out of the room that I found to be quite terrifying.

_Why did I come back to Volterra…only I could be so dumb…_

Love. Favourite. Review. Love Some More.


	15. Nice To Meet You

Chapter 15: Nice to Meet You

I was led to a room in a high tower, and when I got there, my roomie was waiting.

"Bella this is Megan. Like you, she's experiencing everything new for the first time. Hopefully you'll get to know each other a little better." Demetri nodded towards a girl lying on single bed in the corner of the room. I nodded at Demetri, and he left me to enter my new place.

The room was poorly lit. It had a small window in the center of the room, with two beds on either side of it and a small desk table beneath it.

I sighed, and walked into the puny area. The girl stayed lying on the bed; she seemed rude, and didn't have the decency to introduce herself. I guess we were in the same boat on not wanting to be here.

"Hi there. I hear your name is Meghan." I walked over to what I assumed was my bed, and took a seat on the shitty bed spread.

The girl sat up and looked over at me. She gave a weak smile in my direction.

"Ya, Megs for short. You're Bella. Aro told me about you. He says you're just as interesting as me." She rolled her eyes, which made me hold in a gasp. They were redder than fucking fire.

"Hmmm." I said lamely. I didn't know what to say to that.

"I guess you're not that interesting then," she laid her head back down on an old looking pillow.

I didn't say anything to her. She was obviously pissed about something, and she just insulted herself as well as me. Whatever.

"Demetri is actually a pretty nice vampire. He doesn't seem like the Voltera type." I threw the comment out there, and waited for her to grab hold of it and play along with the small talk. She did.

"Yah. He's alright. Although, he's sort of the reason for so many people falling doom to these people. He pretty powerful…" he trailed off.

She was right, he was the locator of the group. It made me smile to know I was different, and no one could find me.

"But his powers couldn't work on me. He can't find the tenor of my mind- I'm gifted, what can I say?" she said, slightly made me smile too.

"Dude, me too. I have brain issues. That's why they chose me." I sprang up off the bed, and leaned over her to get a look at her face. "Are you a new vampire or something?"

"Ya, pretty damn new." She stood up, and walked over to a small cracked mirrow that was hanging on the brick wall, "I don't even recognize myself. Sure I have the same boring blonde hair, and lame clothes, but my face looks sharper- more intense. I don't even have to wear makeup…" she looked away from the mirror and over at me.

"You're not, obviously. Your one of those vegetarian ones." She laughed, "How's that going for ya?"

"Hey, at least I don't have to depend on humans to get from day to day. I like being able to say I don't have any human life in me." I was feeling defensive. I didn't like her talking about what she clearly didn't know anything about.

"Chill out dude. I get it." She said simply.

I doubted that. She was a newbie to the whole vampire thing. She didn't get shit all.

"How long have you been a vampire?" I asked her. I didn't feel bad invading her privacy. I didn't think she really cared anyway.

"Few days." She shrugged.

I gasped. "You're so in control…"

She smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was so sad for some reason.

"Well their aren't any humans around. But I do have amazing self control." She bragged.

I couldn't believe it. She was like nothing I had ever seen before. A newborn vampire didn't sit so still, and didn't look so wise. She was the complete opposite of what I was when I was a newborn. I was wild, insane, and couldn't follow orders. She just sat here like she owned the place. She was perfect.

"You're pretty impressive. I was a disaster my first year. I can't believe my eyes right now. You must have some kind of special powers or something."

She nodded. I smiled.

"I was turned two years ago, and after my rebel days, I returned home. But now I'm back in Italy, and I really wish I could go back to Washington. It's so true- you really don't know what you've got until it's gone."

Megs nodded again, and I waited for her to offer any information about herself. She didn't though. She was private. I guess I'd have to pry information from her.

"What's your story?" I asked, walking over to the window and looking out. The view was shit. Just more old buildings, but the moon was high in the sky. I liked that.

"I don't have one," she turned her back to me when I looked at her face with a shocked expression.

"Sure you do. Everyone has a story." I pushed on.

"No. I'm nobody now. I don't want to remember who I was. I don't want to get to know who I am now. I just want to get through each day without having to think- if you don't mind."

"I don't mind" I said lamely.

She walked out of the room, and when I was sure I heard her go down the hallway, I laughed.

"ok…love it here.." I said sarcastically to myself.

_Not. I'm not staying here a minute longer…_


	16. It's Her

**~ Chapter 16: It's Her ~**

I lied on the bed in my new lonely room, wishing I could use it like a normal person.

But I'm not a normal person. I'm not even a normal vampire. Normal vampires didn't do stupid things like me. And now, here I was, debating on how the fuck I was going to get out of here. Should I just leave? Should I ask? Should I just fucking stay- no that wasn't actually an option.

My other option was asking Meghan about it. She clearly wasn't having the time of her life here. Maybe that was just because she was a newborn. Or not, I don't really know much about her.

I sat up straight in the bed when Meghan walked in and leaned on the door frame.

"Meghan, we need to talk. Like actually talk," I sat up on my bed, and leaned my back on the brick wall. She nodded, and walked into the room. She didn't seem happy about something.

"Are you like angry or something?" I asked, even before getting to what I wanted to talk about.

"umm ya. Hello, look around." She threw her hands up, and spun. This was exactly what I needed to here from her. She was so game.

"Ok good, because I feel the same way. How dumb was it of us to come here?" I laughed.

She didn't laugh. She just stared blankly out the window.

"What now?" I stood up from the bed, and waved my hand in front of her face.

"What makes you think I asked to come here?"

"I don't know. You're new. I just assumed you begged, like me, to come here- after begging to become a vampire…" I trailed when she rolled her eyes, and then looked like she was going to cry.

"Bella...I…" she couldn't spit whatever she wanted to say out. I waited though. "I was taken by them, and I barely even knew about vampires until I became one."

I stared at her. I didn't know what to say. I was wrong about her. She sort have had a reason to be such a bitch.

"What do you mean barely? I mean, you either did know about them, or you didn't."

"I did. Only for a bit though. My…_fiancé _was one. He got into trouble with the Volturi…and so, here I am…" she kicked her bed, which bent the frame severely. But she wasn't done with that. She picked up the bedside table, and threw it across the room.

While she destroyed our room, and wallowed in her self pity, switches were going off in my head. I had seen this kind of behaviour before.

"Did you just say _fiancé_?" I whispered.

She turned and glared at me. "Ya, I might not seem like the type of girl who wants to get married, but fuck-"

"You're Travis's angel!!!!?" I covered my mouth from shock, but mostly to keep from laughing. The way he had described her…well, true love blinds you I guess.

"You know Travis?" she momentarily stopped destroying out room, and she came over to shake me. "Speak Bella, speak!"

"Oh my god, you're just like him! I don't know how I didn't see it before. You're both miserable vampires- angry and self destructive too!" I shoved her off of me, but she was still in my face waiting for me to talk. "I met him two years ago. He's such an asshole…" I laughed, she didn't.

"How is he?" she whispered.

"He thinks you're dead. How come he said he saw you die?" I crossed my arms and stared at her.

"They nearly killed me, to say the least. I fought, and when they got me back inside their building away from him, they bit me."

"Umm…wow." I turned to look out the window. It was getting dark. We so aren't staying here now.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

"Fuck ya." I turned and smiled at her.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand," held up her hand, and I high fived it.

It seemed like the girly, lame thing to do at the time.

***

**Obviously short. No duh. I am just trying to focus on my other story right now. Check it out, it's going to be INSANE.**

**It's called **_**Camp Archstone: Facility for Troubled Youth.**_


	17. Deja Vu

~ **Chapter 17: Déjà vu ~**

To make a short story even shorter, Aro gave light to one life, and blew out the fire to another.

***

As I walked out of Volterra, I didn't look back at the eyes that I could feel burning holes on my back. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing my upset face- which was an understatement. Just thinking about how I had gotten to this situation made me fume.

_**A half hour ago.**_

_Meghan and I were leaving the Volturi. We didn't want anything to do with them, and simply just slipping away was our only option. We just needed to pray that we wouldn't leave a quick trail to our death. _

_Too late. Hope was demolished when Aro, that fucker, cut us off in the hallway mid sneak out. How fucking unbelievable._

"_Ladies off to somewhere?" he eyed our cloaks, and bags full of money and more clothing. I dropped my bag in defeat and threw my head back to stare up at god and ask 'why'? "Come with me," he moved past us down the hall, and entered a room far on the left. We followed. There wasn't any use running as of this moment._

_It was an office. Aro sat behind a desk, which was strange, and he stared back at us. He didn't ask us to sit and we didn't want to. I looked over at Meghan's face franticly, and when I looked into her eyes, they were calm. That wasn't a good sign._

"_What do I do with you two?" Aro asked, leaning forward in his desk. I shrugged. _

"_Honestly, I don't really want to be here anymore." I admitted to the floor. I was too much of a coward to look him in the eye. He was the modern day Medusa._

"_That is very discouraging young Bella. We have given you so much time, and when we finally find your potential, you want to give it up." _

_I didn't look up. His statement was of fact. Meghan wasn't scared. She opened up her mouth._

"_I never wanted to be apart of this, shouldn't I get an option to stay or not?" she asked with a firm voice._

_I peeked up to look at his face, and Aro actually seemed to be considering this._

"_You're right…" He sighed. "You do have the option…we turned you into a vampire knowing your potential, but we never gave you a choice. Now you decide. Do you want to stay, or do you want to go young Meghan?"_

_My head snapped up. I didn't know this side of Aro existed. As happy as I felt for Meghan, my spirits dropped knowing I would be stuck here alone, and she would get to leave here like I should have done the first time I set foot in this hell hole._

"_I don't want to leave," she said confidently. I dropped my jaw, and turned to argue with her because that was a mistake, but she wouldn't let me butt in. "I will stay if Bella can go."_

_I wasn't expecting that- especially from her. She and I weren't that close, and her personality wasn't exactly the giving sort. But no matter how unconnected I felt to her, we were the same sort of vampire, and that made me feel like maybe we did have a tiny connection as friends._

"_That could work…" Aro looked over at me and eyed me cautiously. "Bella if I ever see you again…let's just say I don't think I could handle another encounter."_

_I nodded. I agreed. I never wanted to see his face again. But I couldn't leave Meghan here. That would be so selfish of me to take her place. She doesn't know what's out there. Life is better as a vampire when you're not held in a building and dressed in black. Why was she not looking at her options and jumping to them?_

"_Meghan, you and Bella have the same gift. Maybe you could learn to use yours in a way Bella can not. Life in Volterra is not all that terrible. You are new. Your human memories will fade. It gets better." He stood up from his desk, and walked around to come face to face with me, "As for you, I mean what I said. Let this be the last time we speak."_

"_Yes Aro," I stared into his red eyes, and when I saw my reflection in them, I couldn't help thinking how far I had come. I couldn't wrap my head around ever wanting to become such a soulless creature. The Volturri destroyed vampire's lives- but they weren't getting mine. _

_He left the room, and that's when I turned to glare at Meghan._

"_You really are a crazy bitch!" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her as hard as I could, but she didn't fight back, and eventually I was hugging her. "Why did you do that?" I whispered into her hair._

_She pulled away from me and shrugged. "Honestly Bella, I don't have a life out there." She nodded towards the window, "You do. You'll miss it. I have nothing to miss. I'm fine here." She picked up my bag and dropped it into my hands._

"_You're such a liar. You nearly attacked me over the mention of Trav-"_

"_Just get the fuck out of here Bella before I throw you out that window," she shoved me towards the office door. I opened my mouth to tell her I wasn't moving, but the look on her face had my feet back peddling slowing through the door._

"_Don't waste it like I did…" Meghan whispered. I heard it loud and clear. _

_Those words made me pick up my pace, and I found a balcony that worked as an exit._

_***_

How many times was it going to take for me to finally walk away from the Volturi? It seemed like I was doing this every couple months- hopefully this would be the last.

Meghan's words were ringing in my mind as I crossed over a wooden bridge and walked down an old abandoned street. I wasn't going to waste my freedom- but I also wasn't going to let her rot away.

I grinned when I realized I was only two seconds out of the Vulturi, and I was already planning more mischief with them. But it was Meghan I needed out of there; not myself in.

The night sky was pitch black, and the streets were abandoned. This night reminded me of the night when Travis ambushed me, and it especially brought back the memories when I was suddenly thrown up against a brick wall again.

This time I wasn't as confused. I recognized my attacker, and I also recognized his partner in action.

"Travis, Edward!" I hugged Edward in between him shoving me against the wall. He quickly let me fall, and then I ran over to Travis.

He was shaking his head at me and looked pissed. I knew just the news for him to wipe his glare away.

"Travis, you won't believe who I saw with the Vulturi." I said, but he turned his back to me and began to leave the alley, "Does the name Meghan ring any bells?"

He had stopped, spun, and thrown me against the brick wall again so fast I didn't even see a single step of any of it. The look on his face was angry, but he behind his eyes, he wanted to believe me.

"It's OK Travis. She's alive."

***

**Hmmmm? Eh?**

**Reviews make me happy ******


	18. Cue the Sunset

**~ Chapter 18: Cue the Sunset ~**

"_Travis, you won't believe who I saw with the Vulturi." I said, but he turned his back to me and began to leave the alley, "Does the name Meghan ring any bells?"_

_He had stopped, spun, and thrown me against the brick wall again so fast I didn't even see a single step of any of it. The look on his face was angry, but he behind his eyes, he wanted to believe me._

"_It's OK Travis. She's alive."_

***

He dropped me from the wall, and Edward came over beside me.

"Who's Meghan?" he asked, but both Travis and I didn't have the patience or time to fill him in. He'd find out sooner or later.

"Bella…" Travis had his face in his hands, and leaned up on the alley wall. He then sunk to the ground, and his body shook all over.

If he were human, that would be one major happy cry. But vampires couldn't have a happy cry; they would have to make do with a collapse from relief.

I grinned at Edward, and he cocked an eyebrow at me, but he pulled me close into a side hug. Knowing what Travis has been through seemed like a fuck load and a half to deal with, and I never wanted that to happen to me. I liked the feeling of Edward glued next to my side, and I could get really used to it.

"So what's the plan?" Travis stood up, and his eyes were bright gold. I still wasn't used to that on him.

"There isn't one." A voice said from the entrance of the alley. I turned and dropped my jaw.

_Meghan._

Before I could even react to her presence, Travis had her face locked between his hands, just staring into her eyes.

It wasn't the most romantic of reunions, or personal, but it was so intense that I had the urge to look away and give themsomea privacy- not that I did.

Edward and I smiled when he finally locked lips with his _lady love, _and that's when Edward's lameness came back.

He pulled me to face him, and gripped me around the waste. "How come we never get to do that? We always have reunions, and it's always like 'hey, long time no see' and that's it…." I covered his mouth with my hand and tried to pull myself away from him, but he was laughing under my hand, and then he had me laughing.

_Fine you little fucker…_I let him pull me close and gave him the kiss to top all kisses- right on the cheek. I kissed his left cheek, and than pretended it make out with his right one, but never came close to his lips- even when he tried pulling his face to mine.

"You're so fucking annoying Bella," he crushed me into his chest, and I breathed in his scent.

"Ahem." Meghan said behind us. _Well excuse me, I believe you guys were doing a bit more than us two seconds ago…_

Edward turned me around to face Travis and Meghan, who standing together- well Travis was practically pressed to into her, but whatever.

"Long time no see," Meghan laughed.

I nodded. "So should we be expecting the Volturi to come and find you anytime soon?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Nope," she tapped on her temple, "My mind is fucked up. No mind tracker could ever find me."

I leaned into Edward from amazement. _Fuck that's smart…_I hadn't even thought of that, or clued into that fact. I was probably the same way. _I'm such an idiot…_

Meghan could tell I felt like an idiot. "I know right? Pretty lame. So I think we're good, as long as we don't stay around here too long anyway." She looked into Travis's eyes, and he grabbed onto her face _again_ and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"You are the most beautiful vampire I have ever seen…" he whispered to her. She smiled.

"Second most." I coughed into my hand, and when he shot over a glare at me, I grabbed Edward's hand and walked out of the alley with him.

_Cue the sunset to walk into…_

***

**Six Years Later**

I had changed.

The old Bella, wanting revenge from the world, was gone, and had been replaced with an easy going, laid back, chic.

I had Edward to thank for that. His playfulness, curiosity, and random personality showed me that Vampires didn't come pre-packaged, and made a certain way. I didn't have to hold a grudge against the world and all the humans in it. I didn't have to be depressed, or pretend that I wasn't.

I was me now. Me and Edward forever. And it felt good.

But even though I had this weight lifted off my shoulders, and the guilt for leaving my human self in Forks a long time ago was erased, I still thought about the main source of my revenge.

How had one, clearly demented human, managed to slip through my grasp? Why wasn't he able to get what was coming to him?

I never did find that one person who took my human life away from me. The old Bella would see this as a defeat, or giving up. But I see it as accepting what's done.

I don't care now. It has no power over me. I can say this because he did me a favour, and without him, I would never have found my place in this world…right next to Edward.

Maybe that's why a quickie marriage to Edward was ok with me. He still wanted to marry me, and if I was going to be with him forever, why not do it?

Vegas was the answer. We found a cheap ceremony hall, connected to a gas station.

It was hilarious. We both had on jeans, and plain t-shirts, and right after our non-romantic vows, we peaced out of there- oh after filling up the gas tank of Edwards Volvo.

A full gas tank was needed. We had people to meet, land to see, and memories to make- all the while living it up with no limit on time.

Sometimes I truly loved being a vampire…

**THE END**

*******

**This is it. I am done. Sorry about the big bow ending. It was sort of lame like the breaking dawn ending. I just wanted to finish this story off and end it 'cause I am obsessed with my other one right now, and I'm not in love with this one.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and hits on this story. I am happy that some of the readers actually enjoyed it, so it wasn't a **_**complete **_**failure. **

**I will now be working on my other story, check it out:**

_**Camp Archstone: Facility for Troubled Youth**_


End file.
